Teammate, Opponent, or Girlfriend?
by Kitty and Carmen
Summary: Teammate, opponent, or girlfriend? A new girl's in the city. What is she to the Bladebreakers? What is she to Ray? R&R. May be rated differently later on.
1. She's Back!

**A/N:** I don't own BeyBlade, but I do own Carmen and all the other made up characters and their bitbeasts/beyblades, and the team name 'The Demons'. Also, this is based on the second season. Not the first, or the third. Well, just a little bit from the first.

* * *

Chapter One

**She's Back!

* * *

**

It was a few months into the World Championship Tournament, meaning that Tyson would have to defend his title as champion... Again. Rei was waiting in the garden with Kai and Max.

"What's taking Tyson so long?" Rei asked.

"You know Tyson, always sleeps in." Max sighed.

"Well, I finally got Tyson up. He'll be out in a minute." Kenny said, as he came out to join them.

"Where's Hilary?" Rei added.

"Don't know, she'll be here soon though." Kai said.

"Hey, what's that? Sounds like.." Max said, as the sound of song filled the air.

"Someone signing." Rei finished.

"Yeah.." Kai agreed. Tyson came out into the garden, meaning the only one missing was Hilary. The boys went out into the front to see who was singing. A girl with long black hair that was pulled back into a high ponytail had been standing across the street, singing. Her hazel eyes were closed, and her head was slightly moving to the rhythm of the song playing into her ears. A pair of tight black jeans clung to her shirt, and the rest of her outfit was much like Rei's. However, it was black where Rei's was white, white where Rei's was yellow, and the Yin-Yang symbol was gold and white. Covering her forehead, was a head band (or whatever you wish to call it), like Rei's; Hers was black, with gold and white Yin-Yang symbol. Her hands were clad in black gloves, the Yin-Yang symbols still the same colour as the others, and her feet were clad in black Converse.

"Rei, her clothes are almost like yours." Kai said. Rei looked at the girl.

"Yeah! They are! HEY GIRL, YOU'RE STEALING REI'S LOOK!" Tyson yelled, but she didn't even look up.

"She's listening to a CD Walkman, Tyson. Chances are she won't hear you." Kenny told him.

"AND! She's wearing Rei's look!" Tyson cried. Kenny shrugged, knowing he wouldn't win. They all crossed to talk to the girl. She was leaning on the wall of a building.

"A music store." Max said. Tyson was the first to try to talk to her. The girl continued to sing, and didn't even notice Tyson.

"You can hear the song that she's listening to, because the volume sounds like it's on full blast." Kai noted. Rei removed one of the ear phones.

"HEY! WHAT D'YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!" the girl yelled.

"YOU STOLE REI'S LOOK, GIRLY!" Tyson yelled at her. At that moment, the girl turned the walkman off, and stared at Tyson coldly.

"What did you just call me?" she snapped.

"I SAID you stole Rei's look, girly." Tyson repeated. The girl looked over at Rei.

"Pfft, he stole my look." she snapped. They all stared at her.

"He stole _YOUR_ look! No no, _YOU_ stole _HIS _look." Tyson exclaimed.

"Whatever." she muttered.

"Tyson, who cares?" Max asked.

"Nobody. Anyway, what song were you listening to?" Rei questioned.

"_Lifestyles Of The Rich And Famous _by _Good Charlotte_." the girl replied simply.

"And further more, who are you?" Tyson asked. The girl looked at him.

"Me? Carmen Riley. Who are _YOU_!" she replied.

"I'm Kenny, and this is Max, Kai, Rei, and Tyson." said Kenny, introducing each of them.

"The Bladebreakers? Big whoop." Carmen said simply, walking away.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'BIG WHOOP'!" Tyson yelled at her.

"I've seen you guys blade. Not bad, not bad." she said simply.

"Hold it!" Rei yelled. Carmen turned around and looked at him.

"You look familiar, do I know you?" he asked. Carmen thought for a moment.

"You from China?" she asked. Rei nodded.

"Rei... Rei... Hmmm...Rei Kon, right?" she asked. Rei nodded again.

"Hmm...yep, I know you." she said finally.

"Thought so." Rei said. Everyone turned to stare at Rei. Carmen smiled.

"I'd like to join you guys." Carmen said. Everyone then turned to stare at her.

"You first act like we're beginner bladers, then you want to join! Are you crazy!" Tyson asked. Carmen stared at Tyson, a small smile started to creep across her face.

"Crazy? I was crazy once! They trapped me in a box! A round box! With squares! Round Squares! I was crazy. Crazy? I was crazy once! They trapped me in a box! A round box! With squares! Round squares! I was crazy. Crazy? I was crazy once! They trapped me in a box! A round box! With squares! Round squares! I was crazy. Crazy? I was crazy once! They trapped me in a room! A rectangular room! Rectangular? Magazines are rectangular! They only cost 10 cents! Rats, I only have 5 cents! Rats? Rats make me cra--" before Carmen could continue, Tyson interrupted.

"SHUT UP!" Tyson yelled.

"DON'T TALK WHILE I'M TALKING!" she yelled at him. Tyson went silent.

-X-

"So, you're going to join The Bladebreakers!" Hilary asked Carmen.

"If that bozo with the hat will settle with it." she nodded. Rei and Kai held Tyson back from nearly tackling Carmen.

"Who? Tyson?" Hilary asked.

"No, my beyblade. Yes Tyson." Carmen said harshly.

"Oh don't worry about him!" Hilary smiled. Carmen returned the smile.

"Carmen, what brings you here? Other than wanting to join The Bladebreakers?" Kai asked curiously.

"Well, I'm looking for a team, and I'd like to battle against each of you, or all of you at once, to see how tough you really are." she answered.

"You mean a four on one match!" Max asked.

"Yep."

"Well, she _is_ a worthy opponent." Rei said.

"How do you know Rei?" Kenny asked.

"We battled awhile back." Rei answered.

"And we all know you beat her!" Tyson exclaimed.

"You wish he did." Carmen muttered.

"What!" everyone, but Rei, exclaimed.

"You beat Ray!" Max asked. Carmen nodded.

"I was a novice." Rei admitted.

"But--but Rei? I-" Tyson started.

"During that time, I was the top beyblader around. But, it seems Rei's come along way from then." Carmen interrupted.

"DON'T INTERRUPT ME!" Tyson yelled.

"DON'T YELL AT A LADY!" Carmen shouted.

"YOU'RE NO LADY! YOU'RE A GIRLY!" Tyson shouted back.

"WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME!" Carmen yelled.

"YOU HEARD! GIRLY!" Tyson yelled back.

"Tyson! Don't test her!" Ray warned. Carmen stood up, looking rather angry.

"Nobody, AND I _MEAN_ **NOBODY** CALLS ME A GIRLY GIRL! I AIN'T NO GIRLY GIRL, AS IF YOU HAVEN'T NOTICED!" Carmen yelled. She walked towards the door, being sure to step on Tyson's hand on her way. She slammed the door on her way out.

"Tyson! What did you do that for!" Hilary snapped.

"Hilary, calm down. Carmen's naturally stubborn. Tyson, you shouldn't have tested her like that, it only makes matters worse." Rei said.

"How was I supposed to know that? You're the one that knows her better than all of us put together Rei." Tyson said.

"Guys! Let's just calm down! Let's just.." Kenny said, then looked to Rei for an answer on what they should do.

"Don't think about testing her, don't call her a girly girl, and… Don't get on her bad side." Rei finished. They all nodded.

-X-

Rei didn't sleep for about an hour that night. He tossed and turned, but he was still awake.

"She's back." Rei whispered to himself.


	2. Team Mate?

Chapter Two

**Team Mate?

* * *

**

The next morning, it was just the same as the last day; all were up early, including Chief and Hilary. Tyson, however, was still asleep.

"Just let him get up when he wants to." said Chief. Hilary sighed.

"Where's Carmen?" she asked.

"She's coming, you can hear her singing. Listen." Rei said. They all listened carefully, and sure enough, amongst the sounds of the city, was Carmen's singing.

"_Lifestyles of the rich and the famous… They're always complaining, always complaining. If money's such a problem, well they've got mansions, think we should rob them?_" Carmen sang.

"She'll blow her eardrums out if she continues listening to her walkman on full blast." Hilary said.

"She's always done that, and her hearing is fine." Rei said at once. Carmen came into the back, looking ready for anything.

"Hey guys." she smiled, putting away her walkman. She looked at Rei.

"Well, about that four on one battle, Carmen." Kenny began.

"Oh yeah, that!" Carmen said. She seemed excited about the match.

"Yes, well, are you sure you want to battle Kai, Ray, Max _and_ Tyson?" Kenny continued.

"Of course! It's what I'm known for!" she exclaimed.

"Seriously?" Tyson asked, as he walked out.

"Yeah..." Carmen said. She wasn't too happy about seeing Tyson, after yesterday. Tyson caught sight of her walkman out of the corner of his eye.

"YOU WERE LISTENING TO THAT THING AGAIN!" he yelled.

"YEAH! YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT!" Carmen yelled back. Tyson didn't say anything.

"That's what I thought." she said, crossing her arms across her chest.

-X-

Later that day, Carmen was waiting at the park for them. This was where they were to have their four-on-one battle.

"Where are they?" she asked herself, looking around. She sighed, then sat on a nearby park bench.

"We're here!" Hilary called. Carmen looked up.

"Good! I was beginning to think you got lost or something!" Carmen called back.

They all stood around the dish. Kenny and Hilary were standing at the sides as referees.

"Three, two, one!" Hilary and Kenny shouted.

"_LET IT RIP_!" the other five yelled. Their beyblades landed in the dish. Carmen's was the only black one.

"Dragoon!" Tyson yelled.

"Tyson, WAIT!" the others yelled. Carmen looked pleased that Tyson was about to attack.

"Alright. If that's how you want to play, then that's how we'll play. SOULBREATHER!" Carmen shouted. A bright white light shot from the bit chip of her be blade. A beautiful white tiger appeared, then let out a mighty roar.

"DRAGOON!" Tyson yelled, then the mighty dragon appeared above Tyson's blade. The two blades crashed into each other.

"DRIGGER!" Rei yelled. Rei's bit beast soon appeared, as did Draciel and Dranser. They all surrounded Carmen's blade, attacking her at every angle.

"You're done for Carmen!" Tyson said excitedly.

"You wish bozo. You wish." Carmen said slyly.

"What do you mean!" Hilary exclaimed. Carmen's blade was rather battered up, but it was still spinning, as were the others. Drigger, Draciel, Dranser and Dragoon were spinning beside each other in a line, but Soulbreather was spinning alone.

"You'll see what I mean." Carmen said. "SOULBREATHER, SOUL STORM ATTACK!" she yelled.

"How can she still be going?" Max asked. Soulbreather charged toward Dragoon, considering he didn't have very much power left in him.

-X-

With Tyson out, only Rei, Kai and Max were left with Carmen in the dish.

"Well, it seems Mr. Big-shot is out of the picture!" Carmen smiled.

"Beginner's luck!" Max said harshly. Carmen shot Max a slightly dirty look.

"Beginner? Luck! Honestly! I'm not a beginner!" she stated.

"Well, you're playing like one!" Max said shortly. _Max_, Rei thought, _don't test her!_ Max had totally forgotten about Rei's warning on not testing Carmen. Carmen's eyes narrowed at Max.

"I'm playing like one, hmm? Well then, that'll have to change, won't it?" she said hotly. "SOULBREATHER! ATTACK!" she yelled again. The black blade that spun alone charged towards Draciel.

"DRACIEL!" Max yelled. He was ready. Hilary clapped her hands over her eyes.

"I can't watch!" she cried. The battle was surely intense, but it was one of the greatest matches the boys have had. Carmen had them all out except for Kai and Rei. Her blade began to tilt to the sides. She was beginning to lose.

"Well, you've lasted longer than expected. I'll give you that much." Kai said. He was slightly impressed by Carmen's battle style, her endurance, and her skills.

"Yeah. I expected you to be out along time ago!" Rei agreed. Carmen gave a slight smirk.

"Well, I'm not like any other girl." she muttered. Rei and Kai exchanged looks, thinking the same thing as each other. Carmen watched as her blade tilted to each side, slowly but surely loosing speed.

"Drigger!" Rei yelled.

"Dranser!" Kai yelled, shortly after Rei. The two blades went for Carmen's.

"I'm not out yet!" Carmen hissed as her blade gained balance once, and most likely for the last time in this battle, and darted off into another direction. Both Drigger and Dranser chased after Soulbreather. _Come on_, Carmen thought as she watched, _I can do this!_

"You're out-numbered, Carmen." Kai called. Carmen watched eagerly as her blade was being chased down by Dranser and Drigger. Soulbreather raced around the dish, with Dranser and Drigger right behind him.

"Come on Kai! We've got to catch up to her!" Rei said, looking at Kai.

"Right behind you!" Kai agreed. Both Dranser and Drigger sped up, to catch up with Soulbreather.

"Come on!" Carmen muttered.

"COME ON GUYS! YOU CAN BEAT HER!" Tyson and Max yelled from the sidelines. Hilary watched through her fingers, as her hands were covering her face. _I don't know abut that_, Kenny thought.

"I'm not about to give up boys. So if you think I am, keep dreaming!" Carmen told them.

"No problem. DRANSER, ATTACK!" Kai yelled. Dranser charged for Soulbreather, and the hit was one-hundred percent accurate. The two blades were crashing up against each other, but Soulbreather was closer to the edge than Dranser.

"You're done for!" Tyson yelled. Carmen smirked.

"You think I am?" she said slyly.

"Oh no. Not another one of her tricks again!" Max exclaimed. And sure enough, Max, was right. Carmen's blade managed to get away from the edge, making it seem like Soulbreather and Dranser switched places.

"No!" Kai yelled. Carmen smirked again, but didn't see Drigger heading for her blade.

"Attack, Drigger!" Rei yelled, then his blade collided into Carmen's. The black blade started to lose balance again; Kai and Rei had her exactly where they wanted her.

"NOW!" they both yelled. Both Dranser and Drigger collided with Soulbreather. And the outcome: Carmen, had lost.


	3. The Truth is Told

Chapter Three

**The Truth is Told

* * *

**

Carmen stared in disgust; her jaw hung open slightly.

"What're you trying to do, Carmen? Trying to collect dust in your mouth!" Rei laughed. Carmen snatched her blade out of the dish, and stalked away. Tyson, Max, Kai, Rei, Hilary, and Kenny were all celebrating their victory.

"Yeah! I knew you guys could beat her!" Hilary smiled.

"But now what? Since Carmen was defeated, she won't be able to join our team because she didn't beat us." Kenny pointed out.

"Ah well! Who cares! As long as she ain't on our team, I'm fine with it!" Tyson exclaimed.

"Tyson!" Hilary hissed.

"Well, that's another victory for us!" said Rei, triumphantly.

"Yeah..." Kai replied, relaxing.

They had stayed in the park for about fifteen minutes, then decided to have a celebration picnic by the river. They were all having a great time. Then, once the food had almost been ready, someone very familiar appeared.

"Hey," Max started, "isn't that Carmen!" Everyone looked at where Max was pointing to. Sure enough, it was Carmen, but she wasn't alone. She was with two other girls, and three boys.

"Well, well, well! Aren't those faces familiar!" Carmen said, not amused.

"I THOUGHT YOU SAID YOU DIDN'T HAVE A TEAM!" Tyson shouted.

"SHUT UP, BACK DOWN, AND BUT OUT!" Carmen yelled at him.

"MAKE ME!" Tyson yelled back.

"I WILL!"

"YEAH RIGHT!" Tyson shouted, with an _I'd-like-to-see-you-try _look on his face. Carmen was just about to walk up to Tyson, but a girl with red hair grabbed her arm.

"He's not worth it, Carmen." said the girl.

"NOT WORTH IT?" Tyson yelled.

"YEAH! NOT WORTH IT! YOU HEARD HER!" Carmen snapped.

Tyson was fuming, but Carmen ignored him.

"So, _who_ are these people, Carmen?" Kai asked. Carmen looked at Kai.

"These people, are my team members. That's who they are." Carmen answered.

"I thought _you_ said you didn't _have_ a team?" Rei asked. Carmen and those around her laughed.

"And you fell for it!" said a boy with short sandy hair.

"Hook, line, and sinker!" cried a girl with long blonde hair, which was pulled back into a tight braid. The Bladebreakers looked around at each other. They were totally clueless that Carmen had lied. _She lied?_, Rei thought.

"So, if this isn't correct, please correct me. You only said that to see how good we are, and to see what you're up against, if you ever entered a Tournament, right?" Kai asked.

"Well, two quarters right. You see, we're _in_ the Tournament. You just haven't seen us play yet." said a boy with short, spiked brown hair. Carmen and her so called 'team' left, and the Bladebreakers all went back to Tyson's dojo.

"SHE LIED!" Tyson yelled.

"Calm down Tyson." Kai hissed.

"But Kai! She lied to us!" Tyson partially whined.

"TYSON!" Kai warned. Tyson flinched slightly.

"Kenny, can't you look up Carmen?" Rei asked.

"Yeah, I can, why do you ask Ray?" Kenny answered.

"Because," Rei said, "I'd like to learn a bit on Carmen and her team. Being with you guys all the time leaves me with less knowledge of what she's been up to. Not that being around you guys all the time is bad, or anything." Rei added hastily. Kenny began to search for Carmen's beyblading profile.

"Here it is!" he said, once he had found it, handing Dizzi over to Rei. Rei began reading out loud.

"Name: Carmen Riley. Age: (insert Rei's age here). Birthplace: Manchester England… I never knew that! Bit Beast: Soulbreather. Team: The Demons. Here we go." Rei said, looking up Carmen's team. Everyone leaned behind Rei, watching what he was doing carefully. He waited for the page to load. Once the page had finally loaded, there were six pictures on the page: Three boys, and three girls, one of the girls was Carmen. Underneath each picture, was the name of the person.

"Riley, Carmen. Drzazga, Max. That's the one that said that we fell for Carmen's lie. Shaw, Alex. That's the red head. Javlonski, Aaron. Riccardo, Sandra. That's the 'Hook, line, and sinker' girl. Gagnier, Nick. Well then. That's her team." Rei said, leaning back slightly.

"A rather punkish looking team, wouldn't you say?" Dizzi piped up.

"Why did you want to look up her team, Rei?" Hilary asked.

"Huh? Oh, I was just curious." he answered.

"Well, we've certainly had some day! First having to deal with a four-on-one match, which ended in two out and two in against one. Second, finding out that Carmen actually _had_ a team." Max said, getting up. Kai nodded, getting up also. Rei got up, and went outside.

Rei looked up at the sky, which was beginning to turn a pinkish orange. The sun was setting. Rei sighed.

"She surely has changed. But, she's still the same...in some ways." Rei said quietly. Kai stood behind Rei, but Rei didn't notice that he was there.

"Still the same. Still my Carmen." Rei said quietly, "Still my Carmen."

"Still _your_ Carmen?" Kai asked. Rei spun around quickly. His face was going slightly red.

"K-K-Kai!" he stammered.

"Still your Carmen, Rei? What happened to Mariah?" Kai asked, curiously.

* * *

**A/N:** Max Drzazga's last name is pronounced how it _used_ to be spelt; _Drazazga_. Thank you!

- Carmen.


	4. Long Time No See!

Chapter Four

**Long Time No See!

* * *

**

Rei's face had gone completely red. He just stared at Kai. Kai loomed closer.

"Well, Rei? What happened to Mariah?" he asked again. Rei opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it. He didn't know what to say.

"Well? I'm waiting." said Kai.

"I-I-I..." Rei stammered, trying to think of something to say. Kai continued to stare Rei in the face. _He won't give up,_ Rei thought.

"Rei...I'm waiting..." Kai said. Rei turned, and walked out of the back yard.

"Where are you going!" Kai demanded.

"For a walk! Do you mind!" Rei yelled over his shoulder. Kai shrugged his shoulders, and went inside.

"Where's Rei going?" Max asked.

"For a walk. I think I got him pissed or something." Kai answered. Everyone looked at each other, except Kai.

-X-

Rei looked at the water of the calm flowing stream that lay beneath the bridge.

"Shit…" he sighed. Suddenly, Rei heard someone behind him. He sharply turned around, but there wasn't anyone there. He looked around, then turned back to look at the stream. _Someone's here_, Rei thought, _I know someone is._ Then, he heard another sound, and sharply turned again. Standing there, was Carmen.

He stood there, staring at her. She stood there, on the opposite side of the bridge. Her hands were tightly clamped around the railing, looking shocked. Her long black hair draped around her face, part of her bangs covered part of her face.

"You followed me here, didn't you?" Rei asked.

"No, I didn't." Carmen answered, her grip on the rail was still tight and her shoulders were tense. Rei shook his head slightly.

"You lied. Why?" Rei then asked. Carmen hesitated before answering.

"I-I-I.. Rei.." she stammered, looking like something dreadful had just happened.

"Explain." Rei demanded. Carmen stared at him coldly in the eyes. Rei waited for her to explain.

"I don't have to explain." she said after awhile.

"Yes you _do_!" Rei said sternly. The same girl with red hair walked up to Carmen, but stopped a few steps away.

"C'mon Carmen, we'd better go." she said. The girl had a bit of an Irish accent. Carmen looked at her.

"Right behind you, Alex." Carmen said, looked at Rei, then the two girls left.

-X-

"So close!" Rei muttered as he entered the garden, later that night.

"REI! Where were you!" Hilary exclaimed as he got inside.

"I went for a walk." Rei answered simply. Rei shot Kai an odd look. Kai shook his head slowly, like knowing what Ray's expression meant. Rei let out a sigh of relief.

-X-

The next morning, since they didn't have a match for the tournament, they decided to go to a restaurant.

"I love this place! It's got the best food!" Tyson exclaimed as they sat down.

"Tyson, you like _all_ foods!" Max said. Everyone laughed. A girl with long black hair that was pulled back into a high pony tail and wore a blue uniform (Like the one that Ray wears in the first season, at the restaurant where he had a job at) brought the appetizers.

"So, who's going to take the first spin for our next match?" Kenny asked.

"I think we should wait until we know who we're facing, Chief." Kai said.

"Yeah. But what if we're facing The Demons?" Max asked, looking at Rei.

"Then I'll spin only when Carmen spins." Rei stated. Later, as they discussed different matters and strategies, and were just being served some tea, Kenny spoke.

"Rei, why _exactly_ did you want to look up The Demons last night?" he asked.

"I was just curious, that's all." Rei answered.

"Be sure to tip your waitress!" a voice chimed. They all looked up at their waitress, and sure enough, it was..

"Carmen!" they all exclaimed.

"What're _you_ doing here? I thought you were _too low_ to fit in a place like this." Tyson snapped.

"I _work_ here, as a matter of fact!" Carmen snapped back.

"And why _should_ we tip _you_?" Tyson snapped again.

"Because I'm _your_ waitress." Carmen snapped again, then walked away.

"Grrrr... She makes me _so_ pissed!" Tyson muttered.

"Tyson, just relax!" Rei said.

"How can I if sh-- Oh no!" Tyson said.

"What!" everyone asked.

"If she was our waitress all along, then she must've heard our strategy and battle plan!" he exclaimed.

"So now we have to change that." Rei said.

"Yeah, and just when we had it all figured out, too!" Max complained.

-X-

Later that day, they all were by the stream.

"This has been a rather… Odd day." Rei said quietly.

"Aw, cool!" someone cried from somewhere nearby.

"Who was that?" Hilary asked, looking around.

"Don't know. It was probably just some people doing tricks or something." Kai said, closing his eyes and relaxing. The sounds of roller blades and skateboards sounded on the bridge above.

"Where'd you learn that trick, Carmen?" a boy's voice asked. Rei gave everyone the signal not to do or say anything.

"I made it myself, Maxxie boy." Carmen's familiar voice answered.

"Cool! Think you can teach it to me?" the same boy asked.

"Yeah, I suppose I could teach you Max." Carmen said.

"Teach us too!" the others piped up.

"Alright! Alright! I'll teach all of you!" Carmen said.


	5. Girlfriend? Definitely!

Chapter Five

**Girlfriend? Definitely!

* * *

**

The Bladedreakers listened intensely. _Carmen skateboards,_ Rei thought.

"Just let me warn you, it's pretty complicated." Carmen warned them.

"Well, with practice we'll master it, just like you." Alex said, her Irish accent coming alive in her words. Carmen glowed with happiness.

"Thanks, Alex." she said.

"No problem." replied Alex. They all leaned on the railing, making it very risky of them seeing The Bladebreakers. They continued to talk, and the Bladebreakers continued to stay quiet and listen. One of the boys turned around, and looked down. He spotted them.

"Well, isn't it the Bladebreakers!" he exclaimed. The rest of them whirled around, and looked. Carmen scowled.

-X-

The next morning, Rei wasn't there.

"Where do you suppose Rei went?" Kenny asked.

"Don't know. For a walk?" Max suggested. Kai shrugged.

"Where ever he is, he can take care of himself." he said.

-X-

Rei waited by the stream.

"Da de dum.." he mumbled, then looked at the sky.

"Come on.." he muttered.

"Sorry I'm late!" Carmen called, running up to Rei. Rei looked at her, and smiled.

"No problem." he called back. She stopped in front of him, and tried to catch her breath.

"I... Was... Nearly caught.." she said, still catching her breath. He smiled at her. She smiled at him, now that she caught her breath. The two talked together, standing side by side underneath the bridge so they wouldn't be seen by anyone that was on the bridge. Then, Rei put his lips on hers, and they both closed their eyes.

-X-

"REI? REI! WHERE ARE YOU?" Tyson yelled. Tyson, Hilary, Kenny, Max and Kai had decided to go looking for Rei.

"CARMEN? CARMEN, WHERE ARE YOU?" yelled Alex. The two teams came across each other.

"What're _you_ doing?" Tyson snapped.

"Looking for Carmen. What're _you_ doing?" Aaron snapped back.

"Looking for Rei." Hilary said calmly.

"Rei went missing, hmm?" Alex asked. Kai nodded.

"Carmen went missing too, huh?" Max asked. Sandra nodded. Both Rei and Carmen hadn't heard their team's cries.

"REI?" Kai yelled.

"CARMEN!" Nick shouted. Both teams loomed closer to their hiding, and didn't know this.

"CARMEN! WHERE ARE YA, GIRL?" Sandra and Alex shouted.

"REI! WHEN I FIND YOU I SWEAR I'M GONNA--" Tyson yelled.

"CA--" Alex yelled, then gasped. She spotted the two of them. Tyson ran towards Alex, wondering what she was starring at. His jaw dropped.

"REI! YOU LITTLE!" he yelled. The two broke the kiss, and stared at everyone. Carmen pointed at Tyson.

"YOU! SCREW OFF, YOU BLOODY BASTARD!" she yelled. Hilary clapped her hands over her mouth in shock. Tyson gaped at her. Everyone was rather surprised by what they had witnessed, and by what Carmen had just said.

"C-C-Carmen!" Alex stammered. She hadn't heard Carmen swear for a long while now, and this was a mighty surprise.

"CARMEN! GET OVER HERE! **RIGHT NOW**!" Max yelled. Carmen looked at Max coldly.

"You know _what_! Screw off Drzazga! Screw _OFF_!" she yelled at Max, then stormed off in the opposite direction. Max's jaw dropped slightly.

"Rei!" Kai yelled, as Carmen's team had left. Rei was starring at the ground. Kai walked towards Rei.

"RAY!" he yelled in Rei's face. Rei didn't say anything, and his eyes were fixed on the ground.

"Rei! Look at me! I'm talking to you!" Kai yelled again. Rei didn't move.

"_Don't_ make me do something I don't _want_ to do." Kai warned. Rei still didn't respond.

"Kai! Please, don't! It wasn't his fault!" Hilary cried.

"Hilary! It was his decision, he can't change that now!" Kai yelled. Kai was obviously pissed.

"And you can't change that either." Ray said suddenly. Kai looked at Ray again. "Ray," he said angrily.

"Why in hell did you do this! You snuck out earlier than expected, met Carmen here, and then you kissed her! This isn't like you!" Kai snapped.

"It's not of yours to know why I did this." Rei snapped back. Kai couldn't take it. He kicked Rei where it hurt.

Rei's eyes went rather large, possibly the size of a tennis ball.

"Kai!" Kenny said in surprise.

"No, Kenny. If he wants to be this way, then he deserves it!" Kai said hotly, starring at Rei.

"K-K-K..." Rei stammered. Kai waited.

"Yes? Have something to say to me?" Kai asked harshly.

"Love ain't a crime." Rei snapped. Kai stared at Rei. Rei looked up, and stared Kai in the face.

"Both of you! **Settle down**!" Hilary yelled. Ray and Kai didn't respond.

"If you want to love a liar, then love a liar." Kai muttered. Rei stared at Kai, then walked away.

"HEAVEN ONLY KNOWS WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT!" Kai yelled after him.

-X-

Later that evening, things were rather awkward between Kai and Rei. The two weren't speaking to each other, like they were bitter enemies.

"Oh, I wish those too would be friends again!" Hilary whispered to Kenny.

"I know. But, it doesn't seem like that'll happen any time soon." Kenny whispered back.

"No, not after what happened.." Max whispered in agreement.


	6. Tigers and Demons

Chapter Six

**Tigers and Demons

* * *

**

Carmen lay on her bed, starring at the ceiling. She didn't say anything at all to anyone.

"Carmen? Hello!" Max said, waving a hand in front of her face.

"Max, please. She won't respond to you." Alex told him. Max looked at Alex.

"You think?" he asked.

"I know." Alex sighed. Max shrugged, then left Carmen alone. Carmen turned onto her side, so that her back was facing her team mates. Tears slowly streamed down her face. It was such an embarrassing moment for her. Alex sat on Carmen's bed.

"Hey. Carmen, don't be upset. We just... We were just worried that you were hurt or something." she said softly. Carmen didn't say anything.

"Carmen. Girl, I know you're upset, but, we were worried." Alex whispered again. The others watched as Alex tried to get her to speak. Alex looked at them, and frowned.

"She won't crack." Alex said.

"Heck! You'd think she's got laryngitis or something!" Aaron cried. Carmen ignored his comment.

That night, Carmen cried herself to sleep, and in the morning, she was just as bad as she was the night before.

"Carmen. Come on! You haven't said anything since last night!" Nick exclaimed. Carmen didn't say anything.

"Carmen, please, speak to us!" Sandra pleaded. Still, she didn't respond.

"It's no use.." Max muttered. Carmen then grabbed a notepad and a pen, scribbled something down onto the first page, ripped it out and crumpled it up. She then threw it at Max. Max looked confused, like the rest of them, but he uncrumpled the piece of paper.

"You got that right!" Max read out loud.

Carmen got up and went outside. The sun shone brightly, making her long black hair look brown. She sat down, looking glad to be outside again. She looked at her skateboard; There was a black permanent marker underneath it. She grabbed her skateboard, and the marker, then flipped her skateboard over. The bottom was plain, there wasn't a picture on it or anything. With her board being one of the modern ones, and not one that had a rather odd shape, there should've been a picture on the bottom, or something for that matter.

She stared at the bottom of the board, thinking, with the permanent marker in hand. Then, she uncapped the marker, and began to draw something. She carefully started to draw the symbol that represented Blink 182, and started to hum the tune to one of Blink 182's songs. Once she had finished, she leaned back to admire her work.

"Ugh, this marker stinks." she said quietly to herself, then wrote 'Good Charlotte' in fancy letters. As time passed, Carmen continued to draw.

"What're we going to do? She won't talk to us, but she gives us notes whenever she agrees with something we say." Alex asked.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to wait and see." Aaron said. They all looked at each other.

"She'll crack sooner or later." Max said.

"I don't know about that Max. She _can_ hold a grudge for quite a long time." Sandra said.

-X-

Back at Tyson's dojo, things were still tense between Kai and Rei.

"Will you two just quit this! You' re friends! Now act like it!" Hilary exclaimed. Kai looked at Rei.

"Well, it _has_ been a hard week for us all.." Kai said. Rei nodded.

"Great! You're friends again!" Hilary said happily. Once Hilary skipped out of the room, Kai walked up to Rei.

"No hard feelings?" he asked. Rei looked at him.

"No hard feelings." Rei nodded.

"Does Mariah know that you don't like her anymore?" Tyson asked.

"Yeah, I told her earlier." Rei said.

"And, what did she say?" Max asked.

"She slapped me one across the face, then ran off crying." Rei answered

-X-

Rei and Kai were practicing with each other, later that day.

"Come on Rei. You can do better than this!" Kai exclaimed.

"I'm just getting warmed up!" Rei answered.

"They're acting as if nothing ever happened between them." Max whispered.

"Yeah, they are." Kenny whispered back.

"Go Drigger!" Rei yelled.

"Dranser!" Kai shouted. The two blades chased after each other like a dog chasing a cat.

-X-

Night soon fell over the city like a blanket. Rei, Kai, Max, Tyson, Kenny and Hilary looked at the sky.

"Well, I've better get going. See you guys tomorrow! Don't forget, it's the Tournament again tomorrow!" Hilary called as she left the back of the house.

"Okay! Bye, see you tomorrow!" the others called after her.

"Who's playing tomorrow, anyway?" Max asked. "I haven't checked. I guess I'd better check now.." Kenny said, looking for which two teams were going to battle it out to the next round.

"The White Tigers VS. The Demons. That'll be an interesting match." Kenny said.

"Hey, yeah! It's the team of Rei's girlfriend, and Rei's old team, that has his ex-girlfriend as a member!" Tyson said with a laugh. Rei was silent for a second.

"Yeah, interesting." he muttered.


	7. Victorious Are We!

Chapter Seven

**Victorious Are We

* * *

**

The next day was filled with excitement. Two teams were about to battle it out, in order to get to the next round. Both the team's goals were to have the chance to battle The Bladebreakers. The stadium filled with shouts, screams, and yells of excitement. This is where the battle was to take place. With only minutes until the match started, The Bladebreakers rushed through the streets toward the stadium.

"Why did you have to get up so late, Tyson!" Rei yelled over his shoulder as they ran.

"Sorry! I can't help it if I need my beauty sleep!" Tyson yelled back. _Oh please,_ Rei thought. After about a five minute run, they entered the stadium, and were looking for seats.

"The match is going to start!" Hilary exclaimed as they took their seats.

The spot light came alive, and settled on DJ Jazzman.

"Alright fans! It's the moment you've all been waiting for! The match of the day!" DJ said into his microphone. The crowd roared with excitement.

"And now, let me present our two competing teams! The White Tigers," DJ called. Another spotlight came alive and settled on The White Tigers' team. The crowd cheered, but it wasn't as great as it had been.

"and...The Demons!" A new spotlight settled down onto The Demons' team, Carmen was in front. The crowd was much, _much_ louder for The Demons. The White Tigers' looked slightly disgusted with the out come in the cheering, while The Demons were quite pleased.

"Okay then! Let's get things started!" DJ said. Lee stepped up to the dish, as did Sandra.

"Representing The White Tigers, Lee!" DJ said into the microphone. Lee waved to the crowd, who cheered him on.

"And the representative of The Demons, Sandra!" DJ said again. Sandra bowed, waved, and blew kisses out to the crowd. Sandra was just like the rest of the members of her team. A black t-shirt covered her torso, and plain blue jeans held to her legs. Topping it all off, a pair of white and black DC shoes.

"Well, doesn't she adore the crowd!" Tyson said sarcastically.

"Who do you think you are? Some rich, snobby fashion model?" Lee called. Sandra stared at him.

"No, I don't. I'm just adored by my fans, and I'll give them what they want!" Sandra replied. Lee rolled his eyes.

"Bladers, get ready!" DJ Jazzman yelled. Lee pulled out his launcher and beyblade, as did Sandra. The two got into their positions.

"Come on Sandra! You can beat the pants off this guy!" Carmen and Alex yelled. Carmen had gotten back into the mood of talking to them again.

"Three, two, one!" DJ yelled.

"_LET IT RIP!_" Lee and Sandra yelled. Their beyblades landed into the dish. Sandra's blade got to work.

"Come on, Taurus!" she yelled.

"Taurus, hey, that's a Sun Sign." Rei said.

"Yes, it is a sun sign, Rei. But, Sandra's bit beast is a bull, Taurus the Bull." Kenny said, looking at Sandra's profile.

"I wouldn't want to be up against Taurus! As a bit beast myself, I know how powerful he is!" Dizzi said. Sandra's blade chiselled pieces of Lee's blade off. The pieces flew in different places.

"Come on Lee! You can beat her!" Kevin yelled from Lee's team bench.

"Right!" Lee muttered, "COME ON!"

"TAURUS!" Sandra yelled. Both bit beasts appeared in the air. The crowd roared with excitement, now that this match was getting somewhere. The two blades clashed into each other. Pieces of plastic flying through the air like toys being thrown around by a two-year-old having a temper tantrum. The two teams cheered.

"GO SANDRA!" The Demons yelled.

"GO LEE!" shouted The White Tigers. The pressure was getting to them. Neither bladers had been part of a battle that was so intense.

"You've lasted longer against Taurus than any other. I'll give you that much!" Sandra yelled.

"I'll be the only one to last against Taurus!" Lee yelled back.

"Don't be so sure about that, now!" Sandra smiled slyly, "TAURUS! FINAL ATTACK!" Taurus backed off, then rammed into Lee's blade, knocking it out of the dish.

"This match goes to Sandra, of The Demons!" DJ Jazzman yelled. The crowd cheered, as did her team.

"Good going girl!" Aaron smiled. Sandra gave a deep bow.

The second match consisted of Aaron VS Kevin. Kevin, unfortunately for The Demons, won the match. Now, it was all down to the last match; Carmen VS Mariah.

"Well Rei, what do you think Mariah's going to be like?" Max asked.

"She's going to put more than all her effort into this match. She's fairly pissed off." Rei answered.

"And now for the last match! From The White Tigers, Mariah! And from The Demons, Carmen!" DJ yelled. Both girls stepped up to the dish. Carmen's hair looked like it was put together at the last minute, but it was an actual hair style. Her hair was held together by what looked like a set of drum sticks, meaning she played the drums.

"What's wrong with your hair? Did you get caught in a tornado?" Mariah said coldly. Carmen ignored her. They both got into their positions.

"_Let it rip!_" they yelled. Both beyblades hit the dish.

"You're going to regret taking Rei away from me!" Mariah yelled. Carmen leaned back.

"Excuse me? Just go be your pink freak-girly self somewhere else!" Carmen yelled back. Mariah was indeed pissed. As the match proceeded, both blades where getting battered.

"You stole my Rei from me! You're going to pay for that!" Mariah yelled. Carmen then started to sing ' Welcome To My Life' by Simple Plan.

"_Do you ever feel like breaking down? Do you ever feel out of place? Like somehow you just don't belong, and no one understands you. Do you ever wanna run away? Do you lock yourself in your room? With the radio turned on so loud, that no one hears you screaming. No you don't know what it's like, when nothing feels alright. You don't know what it's like, to be like me. To be hurt. To feel lost. To be left out in the dark. To be kicked when you're down. To feel like you've been pushed around. To be on the edge of breaking down, with no one's there to save you,_" she sang. She sang just like Pierre did in the song.

"_No you don't know what it's like. Welcome to my life. Do you want to be somebody else? Are you sick of being so left out? Are you desperate to find something more? Before your life is over. Are you stuck inside a world you hate? Are you sick of everyone around? With their big fake smiles and stupid lies, while deep inside you're bleeding. No you don't know what it's like, when nothing feels alright. You don't know what it's like, to be like me. To be hurt. To be lost. To be left out in the dark. To be kicked when you're down. To feel like you've been pushed around. To be on the edge of breaking down. With no one's there to save you. No you don't know what it's like. Welcome to my life_." Carmen continued. Soulbreather drove into Galax, chiselling pieces of Galax's armour off.

"_No one ever lied straight to your face, and no one ever stabbed you in the back. You might think I'm happy but I'm not gonna be okay. Everybody always gave you what you wanted. Never had to work it was always there. You don't know what it's like what it's like,_" - Carmen's voice then went calm and not as loud - "_To be hurt. To feel lost. To be left out in the dark. To be kicked when you're down. To feel like you've been pushed around,_" - Carmen's voice went back to what it was like before - "_To be on the edge of breaking down. With no one's there to save you. No you don't know what it's like,_"

"_To be hurt. To feel lost. To be left out in the dark. To be kicked when you're down. To feel like you've been pushed around. To be on the edge of breaking down. With no one's there to save you. No you don't know what it's like, what it's like. Welcome to my life. Welcome to my life. Welcome to my life.._" Carmen finished singing. Mariah stood there, looking bewildered. As Carmen was singing, Soulbreather was tearing away at Galax. Galax was now starting to stop spinning.

"No, Galax!" Mariah yelled., but it was too late. Galax stopped spinning. Carmen stood there, staring at Mariah.

"And this match goes to Carmen! The Demons _WIN!_" DJ Jazzman yelled. The crowd cheered. Carmen grabbed her own blade.

"I think you understand now." she said plainly, then walked back to the bench. Her team celebrated their victory.

"Rei, did you know Carmen was going to do that?" Tyson asked. Rei looked bewildered.

"N-n-no, I didn't." he stammered. _No one ever lied straight to your face? And no one ever stabbed you in the back? What does she mean,_ Rei thought.


	8. Reason of Default

Chapter Eight

**Reason of Default

* * *

**

"The White Tigers are out, and The Demons advance! Join us tomorrow for the next match!" DJ said, then the spot light went out, and he disappeared in the darkness.

"That was rather unexpected, what Carmen did." Tyson said as they walked out of the stadium. Rei nodded.

"Carmen's been a great fan of Simple Plan, but I never expected her to have one of their songs memorized." Rei said.

-X-

"Hey, Chief, can you bring up Carmen's profile again?" Rei asked as they got back to Tyson's dojo.

"Sure, why d'you ask, Rei?" Chief replied.

"Well, doesn't it say what a blader's technique is and what-not?" Rei asked.

"Yes." Chief said.

"Well, I'd like to see what Carmen's technique is." Rei said.

"Okay, hold on." Chief said, getting Carmen's profile.

"Here it is, go ahead Rei!" Chief said, handing Dizzi over to Ray, who began reading aloud:

_This music loving beyblader has her own style of battle. With knowing as much as there is to know about music, she's an original. There's no other blader like Carmen Riley out there!_

'I take my blading seriously, and I take my music seriously.'_ says Carmen. Her talents make her technique. That's right, music is her beyblading technique! A single rock song sung in her talented voice is enough to set her bit beast off! A song such as '_I'm Just A Kid_ ' by _Simple Plan_ could easily get Soulbreather in a rampaging mood to take out it's opponents quickly. However, a sad and slow song such as '_A Moment Like This_' by _Kelly Clarkson_ tends to put the beast into a calm mood, taking out opponents not as quickly, allowing the match to be longer. This only happens inside the arena, though. Outside the cheering of fans inside the Bey Stadium of the BBA, her technique is very different, making her seem a poor-classed blader._

-X-

Later that night, The Demons were still celebrating their victory. Alex grabbed a pillow, then smacked it at Carmen.

"You won, Carmen! You won!" Alex smiled. Carmen laughed.

"I knew I could win!" she said. The others grabbed pillows, then smacked them at Carmen. Soon, what started out as a celebration for their victory, became a pillow fight. After they had finished, they all sat around, staring at each other. Carmen put a hand on her head.

"My head hurts now.." she said. The others nodded, then they all went to bed.

-X-

The next day was much like the last. Only, The Bladebreakers weren't late. They were actually one of the first to be at the stadium, so they got good seats.

"Who's playing?" Tyson asked. "The Demons against The Blade Sharks." Kenny said, reading the stats for the up coming match.

"This should be an interesting match, then." said Max.

The lights went out, then a spot light settled on DJ Jazzman. "Hello there, folks! I've got an unfortunate announcement to make! The Blade Sharks were unable to make it to the match here today, so The Demons win by default. Also, the match which will consist of The Demons VS. The Majestics will be cancelled. This is because The Majestics will not be able to make it. The Demons, again, win by default. Thus, The Demons are in the finals. Sorry everyone!" DJ Jazzman said into the microphone. The crowd roared with boos, hisses, and complaints.

-X-

"Win by default! That's not fair!" Tyson said loudly on their way to Tyson's dojo.

"Tyson, it is so fair. If a team can't make it to a match, then the opposing team wins by default." Kenny said.

"But Chief!" Tyson whined.

"No but's, Tyson!" said Kenny. Tyson stuffed his hands into the pockets of his pants.

-X-

Later that day, The Bladebreakers were all in Tyson's back yard. Rei was sitting, tinkering around with his blade. Tyson and Max were practicing.

"Come on Dragoon!" Tyson yelled.

"Go Draciel!" Max shouted. The two blades tore away at each other. Kai was also sitting down, tinkering with his beyblade as well.

"Well, at least we know what we're up against for the finals. Considering The Demons have made a clear and straight path right into the finals!" Hilary exclaimed. Kai nodded. Rei found it a bit odd, without Carmen's singing around. He began humming the tune to the song that Carmen was singing when the team first met her, across the street, outside a music store. Kai looked up at Rei. Rei continued to tinker around with his blade, and humming the tune.

"Rei." Kai said suddenly. Rei looked up at Kai.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"You're humming. Who're you thinking about?" Kai asked. Rei stared at Kai.

"Nobody." he said plainly.

"Carmen?" Kai asked. Rei stared Kai in the eyes.

"No, I'm not thinking of anybody." he said with the straightest face possible.

"Yes, you are!" Kai exclaimed.

"I am not!" Ray said loudly. Everyone turned around and stared at them.

"You are s-" Rei interrupted Kai.

"I am not thinking of anyone!" he said loudly, then took off. Everyone looked at Kai.

"What was that all about?" Hilary asked. Kai shrugged.

-X-

Rei walked along the side walk, looking into the windows of the stores that he passed. He soon stopped at the beach, staring at the water.

"Why did Kai accuse me of thinking of her?" he sighed. Then, Rei heard a familiar sound which was fairly distant. He looked up, in the direction of the sound. As the sound got closer to him, he began to recognize it.

"Carmen.." he whispered.

He figured out that it was a singing voice, one of which was indeed familiar to him. It was Carmen's soft singing voice, which could only be heard if she was singing a sad song, slow song, or some kind of Christmas carol such as Silent Night. Rei couldn't make out the words, but he knew it was her voice. Then, her voice was intense, like it was during her battle against Mariah. Rei shook his head.

As Carmen got closer, the words became clear. She was singing Kelly Clarkson's new song, 'Since You've Been Gone'.

"_But since you've been gone, I can breathe for the first time. I'm so moving on, yeah yeah. Thanks to you. Now I get what I want. Since you've been gone._" she sang. Ray acted like he didn't hear her. "_How can I put it? You put me on. I even fell for that stupid love song, yeah ye--_Oh! Hi Rei!" Carmen said, seeing Rei. Rei looked up, acting surprised.

"Hey Carmen!" he smiled. She returned the smile.

"So, your team is in the finals. That's great!" said Rei.

"Yeah! You never know, both our teams could be facing each other in the final match!" Carmen said excitedly. Rei nodded.

"That would be awesome! We haven't faced your team in the bey stadium yet." he said. After talking, they both lay on the beach under the shade of a tree. Carmen took in a deep breathe. Ray smiply watched her from the corner of his eye.

"It's nice being away from the team every now and then." he said suddenly. _Oh shit! Did I just say that out loud,_ Rei thought, now realizing what he just said.

Carmen paused for a second then said, "Yeah. The boys have been driving Alex up the wall.." Rei nodded.

"It's been… Different, with you not being around all the time." he said.

"Yeah, I've missed being around you." she agreed. Rei looked at Carmen, who then looked at Rei. Then, Rei stood up. He grabbed Carmen's hand, pulling her to her feet. A smile spread across his face, saying he was going to do something drastic. Carmen stared at him, confused as hell.

"Rei, what are you doing?" she asked. Rei's smile seemed a bit larger with the question. A small glint in his eye told Carmen something. She opened her mouth, as if she heard something shocking.

"_Oh _no! No no! No no no no, Rei! Don't even think it!" she said. But before she could do something, Rei began chasing her around the beach.


	9. Fluff and Songs

Chapter Nine

**Fluff and Songs

* * *

**

"Rei! Stop it!" she called over her shoulder.

"Aw, come on!" Rei called to her.

"Rei!" she cried.

"Just this once!" he called. Carmen continued to run, with Rei right behind her. She actually enjoyed being chased by her love, on the beach of all places! The two love birds continued to run around the beach, then Rei caught Carmen.

"Don't even!" Carmen said. They both tried to push each other to the ground, but they both ended up on the ground together.

"Just this once!" Rei pleaded. Rei was lying on his back, Carmen leaning over him. She smiled a slightly drastic smile. She placed her hands on his chest, their eyes looking into each others'.

She slowly opened the clasps on Rei's shirt. Their faces loomed closer. Carmen's hands stayed where they were, on Rei's chest. However, Rei's hands were settled on the sides of Carmen's rib cage. Her hazel eyes were very soft, and had an innocent look in them. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, other than two love birds under the shade of a tree at the beach, male lying on his back and female leaning over him while undoing his shirt, about to make out.

After this _wondrous_ time at the beach, Carmen couldn't help but giggle. Rei was calm, now that the drastic action was out of his system. Carmen, however, continued to giggle. Was it the way things started off? Was it because she couldn't contain herself? Did she want to make out again? Or was it because Drzazga, Javlonski and Gagnier were driving Alex up the wall, which made Carmen go up the wall as well?

Whatever it was, she was at the beach with Ray. There was a bit of freedom, but not much.

"Carmen… Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yeah… I'm... Alright... Don't worry…" she said between giggles. A small drastic smile crept across his face. Carmen didn't even notice the smile on his face, for she continued to giggle. Rei tackled her, pushing her to the ground. Instantly, for some reason, she stopped giggling.

"So... _That's_ why you're giggling." he said.

"What d'you mean?" she asked innocently. Rei smiled.

"Before I tackled you, you were giggling. And once I tackled you, the giggling stopped."

Warmth and blush raised to Carmen's cheeks.

"Erm..." she mumbled. She lay in the sand, with Rei leaning over her.

-X-

Later that day, after going back to his team, Rei was calmer.

"Where'd you go, Rei?" Max asked.

"The beach. I ran into Carmen, too.." Rei said simply.

"Ooohhh.." Tyson and Max chorused.

"Shut it." Rei muttered.

"She said that her team was performing in the park later on." he added.

-X-

That afternoon, The Bladebreakers walked into the park.

"JAAAAVLONSKIIIIIII!" they heard a girl screech.

"HELP! SHE'S AFTER MEE! IT'S THE WICKED WITCH OF THE WEST!" Aaron yelled.

"I'LL GIVE YOU WICKED WITCH OF THE WEST! NOW WILL YOU FUCKING GET OVER HERE!" the same voice bellowed.

"Three guesses, who that is." Max muttered.

"I only need one," Tyson mumbled, "Carmen." Sure enough, Tyson was right. She was inside a closed off area of the park, chasing Aaron around.

"GIVE BACK THAT PAPER, JAVLONSKI! OR I'LL HAVE YOUR HEAD MOUNTED ON A PLAQUE ABOVE THE MANTEL OVER THE FIRE PLACE!" she yelled. Aaron waved a piece of paper in the air.

"NEVER! MAX, NICK! HELP ME OVER HERE!" he yelled.

"You're on your own!" the two boys called. Aaron stopped in his tracks.

"WHAT!" he yelled. What he didn't know, was that Carmen was heading straight for him. Carmen collided with Aaron, throwing him off his feet. Tyson was chuckling.

"He's right, Carmen really _is _the Wicked Witch of the West!" he said quietly. Rei didn't hear.

"JAVLONSKI! DON'T MAKE ME HURT YOU!" Carmen shouted. Aaron clutched the piece of paper to his chest.

"Never! For the pride of Poland!" he cried.

"_PRIDE OF POLAND_, MY ASS! GIVE THAT BACK!" she yelled. Aaron kicked Carmen in the shins, even if he was down.

"AARON!" she hollered. Aaron stumbled to his feet, then took off again. Alex and Sandra grabbed Carmen's arms and put them behind her back in a lock before she could dart off after him.

"JAVLONSK! I'LL GET YA, AND I'LL MAKE IT LOOK LIKE A FUCKING MURDER!" she yelled. Aaron was howling with laughter.

"That'll be the day!" he said, then noticed the others.

"Oh, hey! So, Carmen told you about us performing?" he asked. Rei nodded. Aaron looked at Carmen, who was still held in a lock by the two other girls.

"Erm… Well, about the **W.W.T.W**..." he said.

"_W.W.T.W_?" Kai asked.

"**W**icked **W**itch of **T**he **W**est," he answered, then caught Rei's look. "no offence, Ray." Carmen continued to struggle, occasionally yelling, "JAVLONSKI!"

"What's wrong with Carmen? Why is she chasing you?" Kai asked. Aaron shot a nervous look at Carmen, then looked back to them.

"I took the comic that she drew, it's actually _quite_ amusing.." he answered.

"Oh? Mind if we take a look?" Kai asked.

"DON'T YOU **DARE**, JAVLONSKI! OR I'LL _HAVE_ YOUR _HEAD_ MOUNTED ABOVE THE MANTEL OVER MY FIRE PLACE!" Carmen warned. Aaron showed the comic.

The characters were basically small, in their chibi forms The characters were all of them. The Carmen character was clutching the Rei character in her arms saying, "He's my Rei! MINE! You girls can have the others, BUT REI ISH MINE!" Tyson and Max let out howls of laughter.

"**JAAAVLOOOSKIIIII!**" Carmen yelled, finally out of the lock Sandra and Alex had her in.

"SHIT!" Aaron cried, now on the run again. They all sweat dropped.

"Well, apparently Carmen's not herself right at the moment. She's Riley..." said Max Drzazga, walking toward the others with Nick behind him. Everyone stared at him.

"Something to do with Yin and Yang, so she says.." Max explained.

"Yeah...Yin and Yang, two souls.." Rei said. Carmen continued to chase after Aaron.

"HEEEEEEELLLLLLPPPPP! SHE'S AFTER MMMEEEE!" Aaron yelled.

"GET BACK HERE JAVLONSKI!" Carmen yelled.

"NEVER!" Aaron called over his shoulder.

"GET BACK HERE DAMMIT!" she yelled.

-X-

After awhile, Carmen finally got her comic back. They continued to set up.

"No no no! That's not how it goes!" Alex called to Aaron, who, while being sure to stay away from Carmen, was doing the lighting.

"Let me do the lighting!" she hissed. Aaron shrugged, giving up on the lighting. Carmen was setting up a drum set, which looked bran-spanking new.

Rei watched his love bird. She carefully placed each piece together, being sure not to scratch the paint. He smiled at her, remembering what they had done at the beach earlier that day. Carmen looked up, and smiled. She got up and gracefully walked toward Rei.

"Hey.." she said softly.

"Hey.." he replied.

"Come on Carmen! We've got to finish setting up! You can go all _sexy_ later!" Max yelled from the sound system. Carmen burst out giggling.

"Alright!" she called, walking back to the drum set. She quickly put the set together, then went to help Max with the sound system.

The performance was great, and the last song performed was _Spinnin'_ by _Keshia Chante_. Carmen was the one singing, and she was dancing with Rei.

"_Me and my girls hangin' out tonight. We decide we gonna step in line for the club, to see what's up. Didn't know if we were getting in. No ID - we don't got anything to show, oh no. Oh my God! Tell me, what do I see? A hunny right in front of me, and he's clockin' me,_" - she was rather close to Rei - "_He steps through, I hope that I do too. Then the bouncer takes one look at me, "What? Are you fifteen?"_

_"You know you had me spinnin', right from the beginning'. When you put that record on, you know I'm bout to get my groove on, And I can't even imagine, if this thing didn't happen. The night is just beginnin', and I'm already spinnin'. I tell the bouncer, "I'm here all the time." Didn't believe me, said he heard that line before, and many more. I try to tell that I'm 21. Come on man "I just look real young!" I say, "Please, you gots to be cool wit me." Then he smiled and said "Okay, alright! But just for tonight." I step inside, and right there before my eyes. He's in the DJ booth with headphones on, and he's playing my song! Oh my God!"_


	10. Fluff, Truth, Details and Injured

Chapter Ten

**Fluff, Truth, Details and Injured

* * *

**

Both teams left the park after packing up, except Carmen and Rei.

"Now… Where were we?" Carmen asked. There was a sudden purr in her throat.

"Well, Max told you to hurry up, and that you can go all _sexy_ later." Rei reminded her.

"Oh... Yes... That's right.." she said softly.

The two were hidden amongst some trees in the park. Carmen's back was against one of the trees that they were standing behind, hidden from un-wanted eyes. Carmen let out a small whimper as Rei pressed his body against hers, then placing a kiss on her lips. Having the temptation to have a French kiss, she turned this into one. The two love birds, one applying pressure on the other's body, were French kissing.

They both stayed later than expected, but went back to their teams. They snuck into their rooms while their team mates were asleep. Carmen thought about what had happened as she lay on her side in bed. _A French kiss… A glorious French kiss.,_ she thought before dozing off.

-X-

The next day seemed long and boring. Rain was pelting the windows. Nobody dared going out into this weather.

"So, Carmen, when did you get back last night?" Sandra asked as she began doing Alex's hair.

"Oh, I don't know... 11:30, maybe?" Carmen answered. Everyone looked at her.

"11:30! God, Carmen! The performance ended at nine o'clock!" Max said.

"Five after nine." she corrected.

"Five after nine. OH MY GOD! I WAS OFF BY FIVE FUCKING MINUTES! I'M A DIM-WITTED DUDE!" Max cried sarcastically.

"No you're not. But Tyson, now _he's_ dim-witted!" Alex said.

"Fuck, he's a bastard.." said Carmen.

"Hear, hear!" Alex agreed. While Sandra did Alex's hair, Carmen did Sandra's hair.

"Laugh out loud, now that's something new! Carmen's doing Sandra's hair, while Sandra's doing Alex's hair! Ha! That's a new one!" Aaron laughed.

"Aaron's an idiot, laugh my ass off. How sad! L-O-L.." Carmen said. There wasn't any tone in her voice. Aaron stopped laughing.

"Hear, hear!" Alex laughed. The others started to laugh, except Aaron.

"She got you there, Aaron!" Nick laughed. The boys were playing video games together, as the girls were doing each other's hair.

"Er... Yeah, she... Did..." Aaron stuttered.

"HA! And you said _you were_ the _King of Insults_! Well, Carmen's the _Queen of Insults_! She took your place!" Alex said. Aaron simply muttered a rather _long_ string of curses.

"Hell, I'm the _Queen of Trash-talking_!" Carmen smiled.

"That you are!" Max agreed.

"But _we're _the Kings of Video-Gaming!" said Nick. Carmen shot him a glare.

"_Excuse me_? I'd like to see you boys try and beat _Halo 2_ about three or four times in a single week, beat _Project Gothem_ in about two or three days, AND beat _Final Fantasy Ten_ in a day… _Three_ times in a row." she said.

"In a day?" the boys asked.

"In a day." she answered. All of their mouths fell open, even Sandra's and Alex's.

"Shit! I can't even beat _Project Gothem_!" Aaron said.

"Shove over!" Carmen said, getting up and walking toward them. The boys shoved over. Carmen closed down the PS2, then turned on the Xbox and put in _Project Gothem_. She grabbed a controller, and went onto her saved file. She had restarted another game on her file.

"It's easy! That is… Once you get the hang of it.." she said, starting the first game.

"Shit, I hate this one... Oh well, it'll be over soon enough.." she muttered. Aaron and the others stared in amazement as Carmen made her way through each level with ease.

"Shitty..." Nick said.

"Fucked up..." Max murmured.

"Double dog shit..." Aaron muttered. Each of them said these on different levels.

-X-

"Rei, how long did you stay out for?" Hilary asked.

"I'm not sure, probably until 11:30.." he answered.

"And did Carmen go all _sexy_ like Max said she could?" Max asked.

"Maybe, maybe not.." Rei said.

"She did, didn't she?" Tyson asked. Rei gave shifty eyes.

"Slightly..." he answered quietly. All the boys clapped, except Kenny and Kai.

"What did you do! What did you do? Did you go at it like horny rabbits! ()" Tyson asked. Rei shot him a freaked out stare.

"No! And even if we did, you aren't supposed to know!" Rei cried.

"He's got a point, there." Kai said.

"Then what did you do! The suspense is killing us!" Max asked.

"My lips are sealed." Ray said.

---Ray's P.O.V. (just for a second)---

When I said that, I must've accidentally given them some sort of clue without realizing it! Considering the others aren't stupid idiots. I mean, come on! I'm not gay, I like girls! I'm glad Carmen's not a lesbian, cause she's hot and she's got a nice ass! Err…. Did I just say that?

---Back to normal---

"You made out! You two had a make out session! Good show, Rei!" Max said suddenly. Rei gave him a stare, then said, "Something... Along those… Lines..."

"Okay… You made out while shoving your tongues down each other's throats?" Tyson asked.

"Pretty much...French kiss and making out..." said Rei. Hilary burst into the room with a bit of a worried look.

"Rei! Alex is on the phone, she said that Carmen's hurt!" she cried. Rei jumped to his feet.

"WHAT!" he cried.

"Here! She'll explain!" Hilary said, thrusting the phone into his hands. Rei hastily answered.

"Hello! Alex!" he asked.

"Rei! My God, I called as soon as I could! Knowing you and Carmen, of course--"

"YES! Just get to what happened!" Rei interrupted.

"Oh, right, sorry! We went out for a bit, and we stumbled upon some big show-off hot shots, and one of them was armed with a skateboard! They chucked it at Carmen's rib cage, and now I have a feeling that one of her ribs is broken." Alex said.

"OH SHIT!" Rei yelled. Alex squirmed uncomfortably.

"Yes, well, she's at the hospital. She's getting her rib cage ex-rayed for any injuries. Carmen wouldn't move when the ambulance got there. Stubborn when it comes to the hospital, hates it… But anyway, I tho-- Rei? Hello? Rei?" Alex said. Rei had dropped the phone, grabbed his shoes, and ran for the door. Hilary picked up the phone.

"Sorry Alex, he's on his way." she said.

"Oh, alright, okay. No no, that's okay! I'm used to it, my cousins, long story. I'll talk to you later, I suppose. Bye." the redhead replied.

"Bye." Hilary said before they both hung up. She looked at the others.

"Well, Carmen's in the hospital… Rei's headed there." she said, looking around at all of them.

"_And?_" Tyson asked.

"_And_ I'm sure Rei would like to know that we care!" Hilary said.

"I'm not going! Carmen hates me, and I hate her! _Perfect_ with me!" he said at once. Hilary scowled.

"You're going, and that's final! Now, everyone get your shoes!" she said.

**A/N:** Okay the () stands for something that I thought was funny from a fan fiction that I read, by the author, Blackie and Goldie. I was reading one of her fan fictions, and I came across something that went kind of like that. So, I changed it just a bit, and used it. I really hope she doesn't mind!


	11. Pain and Love

**A/N:** Okay, for those of you that are confused about the last chapter, with the injury and the Xbox thing, well, let me explain! In case you didn't read the chapter properly. The members of The Demons got bored with playing Xbox and what not, so they went out to the park for a while. And it stopped raining Carmen: THANK GOD! Me: Err, you're supposed to be in the hospital! Carmen: Point? Me: -.- never mind.. ANYWAY! And at the park, they stumbled across some show-off hot shots, one armed with a skateboard. Carmen pissed him off, he chucks the skateboard, you get the picture!

* * *

Chapter Eleven

**Pain and Love

* * *

**

Tyson was complaining on their way to the hospital.

"Tyson! Will you stop complaining? We're doing this for Rei!" Hilary hissed.

"Well, as long as we're not doing this for Carmen, it's alright with me." Tyson said. Hilary scowled at him.

"Tyson, Ray loves Carmen. At _least_ be nice to her." Kai said. Although Tyson didn't agree, they went to the hospital anyways. Rei was waiting with Alex and the others. Rei stood leaning against a wall, staring at the ceiling.

"Rei!" Hilary called. Rei jerked forward, then looked in the direction of Hilary's voice, spotting his team.

"You came!" he asked.

"Course." replied Max. A female doctor came from around the corner.

"Well, I err… Expected family, more than friends!" she said warmly. Alex looked up from a magazine, which she chucked aside as she walked up to the doctor.

"Well, she's a beyblader. Her family is back in England, I'm Alex." she said.

"Oh yes, bladers. We've seen them. I'm Doctor Paige, pleased to meet you!" the doctor said warmly again.

"She does indeed have an injured rib, nothing an operation can't fix. The BBA covers it, of course." said Dr. Paige. Alex's face still held a nervous look.

"Is… Is the injury bad?" she asked, remembering the incident in the park.

"Well, it wasn't any ordinary skateboard, to start off with," Dr Paige said, taking out the ex-rays., "it was a defence weapon. Second, two ribs are broken, any slight movement and _there_ will be pain, a lot of it. The operation will have to wait until five thirty in the morning," she said, watching Alex check her wrist watch.

"But that's too long!" Alex stated.

"Yes, I know. That's the only thing, the operating room is only free at five thirty tomorrow morning. I'm very sorry." said the doctor. After the doctor walked away, Alex gave a long line of curses.

"That doctor is some kind of bitch, I'm telling you!" she hissed quietly.

"Carmen's going to be in pain for ten fucking hours unless she stays still! I hate that doctor! I'll be furious if she's the one operating." she added. As Alex carried on with her complaints about the _bitchy_ doctor, they waited a bit longer.

"Well, I've made the beginning of a new song! I call it, "She's a Bitch." It goes: She's a bitch, a bitch, a really bitchy witch!" she sang. The others laughed, even Alex.

"Good one!" Aaron said. Alex gave a bit of a bow.

"Are you still working on the rest of the song, Alex?" Max asked. The redhead nodded.

"Yeah, I'm still thinking." she answered. As the night grew longer, they began to fall asleep. Then, Rei suddenly spoke.

"You guys go home and get some rest. I'll stay here." he said. Alex was about to protest, until Rei said that he insisted. Sandra shrugged.

"Alright, but we'll be back in the morning." Hilary said. Tyson shot her a look that read 'What! Are you insane!'

"Deal." Rei agreed. After they had left, Rei took a seat. The night seemed to be long and endless. Every now and then Rei looked up at the clock that hung on the wall.

"Five o'clock..." he muttered, then, fell asleep in his chair.

-X-

"Excuse me, young man. Excuse me?" Rei's eyes jerked open. Dr. Paige was standing by him, a warm smile plastered on her face.

"Oh, hi! Sorry.." he said.

"No no, don't be sorry. I take it you're here for Carmen Riley, right?" she asked.

"Yes! Yes, is she alright!" Rei asked, getting to his feet. Dr Paige nodded. Rei looked up at the clock, which read 10:30. _Shit! It took that long,_ he thought.

"Right this way." said the doctor. Rei followed her. She lead him to Carmen's room.

"There you go. I'll be back in a couple hours." she said, then walked out. Ray sat beside the bed, looking at Carmen. Her hair was no longer the way it was when he last saw her, and her hazel eyes were closed. The IV was delicately taped to her skin on the inside of her left arm, just above the wrist. He couldn't bare to think about how much pain she was in before the operation. _Ten hours...Ten long fucking hours,_ Rei thought.

Rei gently brushed the back of his hand against the side of Carmen's face. A slight moan escaped her lips, then her eyes started to open. A smile creased Rei's face.

"Wh..what? W-w-where am I?" she said softly. She didn't remember what happened earlier.

"Carmen." he softly called. She looked across at Rei. Her vision was a little out of focus, but not much.

"Rei?" she asked.

"It's me, Rei. You're at the hospital." he said.

"The hospital! Why in the-- Oh right, the skateboard. I remember now.." she said softly. She looked up at Rei.

"You'll be fine." he whispered to her. A slight smile crept across her face.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine." he said.

"I won't worry if you won't." said Carmen softly.

"It's my job to worry about you." Rei said. Carmen didn't say anything.

Rei stayed there for most of the morning. He couldn't leave, nor would he leave her there.

**A/N: **Okay, if you know the names of the members for Biovolt, **PLEASE TELL ME**! I have to know before one of my next chapters, and I need to know the names of the bit beasts too! I know there's Tala, and his bit beast is Wolborg, I'm not sure if that's the correct spelling or not. And there's Bryan, but I don't know his bit beast! ARG! So, could you please tell me in your review? Thanks!

- Carmen.


	12. Laughter

Chapter Twelve

**Laughter

* * *

**

Rei left the hospital just after lunch. One could tell that he was tired, because there was bags under his eyes, not much though.

Rei dragged his feet through the doors, went into his room, and slammed the door behind him. The others looked at each other.

"Tired?" Max asked.

"Definitely." Tyson answered. Rei kicked his shoes off, then fell onto his bed. He fell into a deep sleep, and at about four thirty, they tried to wake him.

"Rei! Rei, wake up!" Chief said. Rei didn't budge.

"REI! WAKE UP!" Kai yelled. Still, Rei didn't move.

-X-

The Finals were held back for awhile. Carmen got out of the hospital just in time, though.

"Oh Carmen! It's great having you back!" Alex said. Their captain smiled.

"Why is that?" she asked.

"THE BOYS WERE GOING INSANE!" Sandra cried.

"What else is new?" she asked, not looking worried or surprised. The two girls looked at her.

"Are you alright?" Alex asked.

"Just fine. Why?" Carmen asked.

"You don't look surprised!" Sandra said.

"Cause I'm not surprised." Carmen said.

-X-

During the next few days, The Demons were practising for their next match. They would be playing against King and Queen. Soulbreather was pounding up against a large rock.

"_Grew up in a small town. And when the rain would fall down, I'd just stare out my window. Dreaming of what could be, and if I'd end up happy, I would pray. Trying not to reach out, but when I tried to speak out. Felt like no-one could hear me. Wanted to belong here, but something felt so wrong here. So I'd pray, I could breakaway_." she sang. The song she was going to sing was _Breakaway_ by _Kelly Clarkson_.

"_I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly. I'll do what it takes till I touch the sky, and I'll make a wish, take a chance. Make a change, and break away. Out of the darkness and into the sun, but I won't forget all the ones that I love. I'll take a risk, take a chance. Make a change, and break away._" she continued.

"_Wanna feel the warm breeze, sleep under a palm tree. Feel the rush of the ocean, get onboard a fast train. Travel on a jet plane. Far away, and break away. I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly. I'll do what it takes till I touch the sky, gotta make a wish, take a chance. Make a change, and break away,_" Soulbreather continued to beat at the rock.

"_Out of the darkness and into the sun. I won't forget all the ones that I love. I've gotta take a risk, take a chance. Make a change, and break away. Building with a hundred floors, swinging with revolving doors. Maybe I don't know where they'll take me, but I gotta keep moving on moving on. Fly away, break away._" she continued.

"_I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly. Tho it's not easy to tell you good-bye. Gotta take a risk, take a chance. Make a change, and break away. Out of the darkness and into the sun, but I won't forget the place I come from. I've gotta take a risk, take a chance. Make a chance, and break away. Break away...break away._" she ended. Soulbreather drilled through the large rock, bringing it down to pieces.

Carmen smiled with satisfaction. She leaned over and collected her beyblade, then took a seat. She took out a piece of cloth, and started to fix it up a bit.

"This is our last day to practise. We've got to be ready for tomorrow." she said after awhile. She looked up at them.

"Right." the others said together. She stood up, and held her hand out with the palm facing the ground. The others put their hands on top.

"Who are we?" Carmen asked.

"We are The Demons!" the others said.

"And what is our goal?" Carmen asked.

"To be the best! To conquer the rest!" the others answered.

-X-

Next day, Carmen and her team were in their team room at the BBA Bey Stadium.

"Alright, we know who we're up against?" Sandra asked.

"King and Queen." said Aaron.

"Bastard part hunters.." Max muttered.

"Now now Maxxie, don't use one of my words!" Carmen said, waving a finger, "Bloody bastard part hunters.." she added. The lot of them laughed.

"Alright, who's taking the spin?" Max asked.

"Aaron and Sandra." answered Carmen. Aaron and Sandra looked at each other and nodded.

"We've got a plan." Sandra said with a devious smile. "Good to hear!" Alex said.

-X-

The crowd cheered as both teams were introduced. It was a two-on-two match. Carmen was practically pulling the long black hair out of her head, wishing that her team would win. The battle seemed more than just a battle. It seemed like a war. Luckily, with all the effort that Aaron and Sandra could give, they won the match.

"THANK YOU HEAVEN!" Sandra called.

"We advance! Err... Who're we facing next!" Aaron asked.

"That's...what I'm afraid of..." Carmen said. Everyone turned and stared at her.

"Why?" Nick asked.

"Because, BioVolt is the only finalist we haven't faced, besides The Bladebreakers." she answered.

"DOUBLE, TRIPLE, AND QUADRUPLE DOG SHIT!" Aaron yelled.

"Alright Aaron! No need to blame dogs when they take a shit!" Carmen said. Aaron burst into laughter.

"W-wha!" he laughed. Carmen started to chuckle.

"No need to blame dogs when they take a shit!" she repeated. They all went home laughing their heads off.

"Okay, so, when's the next match?" Nick asked as they got in the door.

"Tomorrow." Carmen answered simply. Aaron let out a long line of curses.

"Now now, Aaron! Don't get your boxers in a knot." Carmen said. They all laughed.

"Oh Carmen! You've always got something to say!" Alex said. Carmen smiled.

"Of course I do!" she answered.


	13. The Union Jack and A Plan

Chapter Thirteen

**The Union Jack and a Plan

* * *

**

The next day arrived in what seemed like an hour.

"Shitty shitty shit shit shit!" Aaron mumbled.

"Aaron, do me a favour." Carmen said. Aaron looked up at her.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Remind me to wash your mouth out with soap after this battle." she said.

"Say what! You've sworn too!" Aaron whined.

"I'm the captain, I'm allowed to swear." Carmen said simply.

"Yes mother.."

"I heard that!"

-X-

They entered the bey stadium, looking up at the cheering fans.

"Welcome! I'm Brad and this is AJ!" Brad called.

"Thanks Brad! Today we're here at the BBA Bey Stadium, here to bring you the last match before the Championship battle! Today's challenging teams will be BioVolt and The Demons!" said AJ. The crowd screamed with excitement.

"Well, let's hand this over to DJ!" said Brad. A spotlight settled on DJ Jazzman.

"Thank you Brad And AJ! Welcome folks! I'm DJ Jazzman, here to bring the final match before the Championship! Well, we've got more than just an exciting match for ya!" DJ Jazzman called. Everyone gave looks of utter confusion, and bewilderment.

"Merlin's beard! What do they think they're doing?" Carmen said.

"That's right! For the two final matches, we're heading off to Manchester!" DJ said. Carmen's eyes were now as wide as dinner plates.

"Ma-Ma-Ma-Ma-Manchester! Manchester, England?" she stammered.

"Yes! We're heading for Manchester England!" called DJ.

"Well, looks like we'll have to pack our bags, AJ!" called Brad.

"Absolutely!" agreed AJ.

"Well, have a good night! We hope to see you all there!" said DJ before he disappeared in the darkness.

-X-

"Home! HOME!" Carmen bellowed as her team packed their bags.

"Here we go again..." Max mumbled.

"Blimey! My prayers have been answered!" she called.

"Watch out...Danger-prone Riley is at it again!" Sandra whispered to the boys.

-X-

Back at Tyson's, the team were debating whether to go to England or not.

"Well, it's Kai's call. He's the captain, after all." said Hilary. They all turned to Kai, who was thinking.

"Well...I _would_ like to see them try to beat BioVolt. Alright, we'll go." he decided.

"WHAT! KAI! I hate Carmen! You know that!" Tyson bellowed. Kai rolled his eyes.

"That's common logic, Tyson. Everyone knows that..." he muttered.

"Then why do we have to go!" Tyson asked.

"Because we all want to go to England and watch The Demons kick BioVolt's ass. Now stop complaining!" Kai snapped. Tyson muttered something, but nobody heard.

-X-

"_LONG LIVE THE QUEEN! THE TEACHER'S DEAD! WE BARBEQUED HER HEAD! WE FLUSHED IT DOWN THE TOILET, TO SEE IF THEY ENJOYED IT! LONG LIVE THE QUEEN OF ENGLAND!_ YIPPEE! I'M GOING HOME!" Carmen yelled.

"God, if you love us, you'd make her shut the hell up!" Alex muttered under her breathe. Rather large sweat drops appeared on the back of their heads as Carmen pretended to be adored by millions.

"She's mental.." Nick said quietly.

"Naw, she's just glad that she's going back home." Alex said.

"A bit _overly_ happy, if you ask my opinion!" Max whispered.

"Thank you, thank you! Yes, I know you've missed me! But, what can I say? I'm a beyblader, I've got to go with the tournaments!" Carmen said happily.

"Now she's just scaring me!" Sandra said quietly.

"No, she's just talking to her invisible friends.." Aaron murmured.

"AARON!" Carmen yelled.

"Yes!" he asked, his back straightening.

"I HEARD THAT!" Large sweat drops went down the back of their heads.

"Yes mother..."

"I HEARD THAT TOO, JAVLONSKI!"

"That reminds me, I've gotta wash your mouth out with soap! Alex, could you grab the dish soap for me? Please." Carmen said. Aaron's eyes suddenly widened.

"Err... Eheh... RUN!" he yelled, then shot off in another direction.

"YAY! This reminds me of… THE HUNT! DA DA DA DAAAA! TALLY HO!" Carmen yelled.

"She's definitely insane now.." Nick muttered as they sweat dropped.

"You don't think she likes Rei _and_ Aaron, do you?" Max asked.

"No, definitely not. Aaron's not her type. She just likes to torment while she's not at home, tormenting her relatives." Alex told them. Alex, Nick, Sandra and Max sat down to watch Carmen chase Aaron around the place.

"MUAHAHAHA! GET BACK 'ERE! TALLY HO!" Carmen yelled again.

"Warning: Do not trespass, the Insane English girl may and will give you major injuries. Get out while you still can." Max said. They laughed.

"SOMEONE GET THE SOAP! Ah never mind, I'll GET THE SOAP MYSELF!" Carmen called, then ran into the kitchen to get the dish soap. Soon enough, she was chasing Aaron again.

"JAVLONSKI, GET BACK HERE! FOR YOU ARE THE HUNTED! DA DA DA DAAAA!" she yelled, then tackled Aaron to the ground.

"HEEEELLLLPPPPP!" Aaron hollered.

"DUDE! CLOSE YOUR MOUTH!" Nick yelled. Nick, Max and the girls were now on their knees, watching Carmen's actions over the back of the couch.

"THE HUNT, IS OVER!" Carmen yelled, and shoved the bar of soap into Aaron's mouth. The others started howling with laughter.

-X-

As the others snoozed in their beds, Tyson clicked away on the keyboard of Kenny's laptop.

"Come on Mariah..." he muttered.

"_Well? What's your great plan?_" he read. He was checking his email.

"Well, you do want Rei back, don't you?" he said, typing his reply. About a minute later, he got his reply.

"_Yes. What's your point? Mariah._" he read.

"Well, I hate Carmen _so_ much that she can just rot in hell. And I know you hate her too, so, my plan is to get you back with Rei so that I don't have to deal with this Carmen shit. Tyson." he said, finally finishing his reply. It wasn't even a minute before he received a reply.

"_Brilliant! See you in England! Mariah._" Tyson smirked, then went to bed.


	14. Nearly There!

Chapter Fourteen

**Nearly There!

* * *

**

The next day was just as hectic as the last. The Demons, however, thought the day was more insane than it was the night before.

"Carmen's little _hunt_ for Aaron and all, yeeee..." Max shuddered at the thought. Aaron was taking a very, very long in the washroom that morning. Nick banged a fist on the bathroom door.

"AARON! Open up! Or we'll be late for the plane!" he bellowed through the door.

"I'm still washing the taste of soap out of my mouth!" Aaron bellowed back.

"Bloody 'ell! Carmen, how long did you leave that soap in his mouth!" Alex asked. Carmen began to think.

"Oh, I don't know. A good half hour? An hour?" she answered.

"HOLY! Talk about soap!" Max cried. Carmen shrugged.

"My Nana would leave the soap in our mouths for at least an hour and a half if we mouthed off. He's lucky I'm not like that!" she said. Carmen was placing the two drum sticks into her hair. It was styled exactly like it was during her match with Mariah.

"Bloody 'ell! **COME ON JAVLONSKI!**" Carmen yelled, banged a fist on the bathroom door, then continued down the hallway. The door seemed to rattle on its hinges. Aaron opened the door.

"Gosh, she's got quite the hit!" he muttered. As soon as Aaron finished in the bathroom, they all grabbed their stuff and headed for the airport.

-X-

Carmen was still -very- hyper. _I'm finally going home,_ she thought. A smile was plastered on her face. The others looked afraid of her smile.

"God, she looks like the Queen of England with that smile..." Alex whispered.

"I know… It's scary.." Max whispered back.

"Carmen!" a familiar voice called. Carmen turned, to see The Bladebreakers coming.

"REI!" she yelled, letting her bag fall from her shoulder and ran toward her lover. She hugged him tightly. _You'll be out of my hair soon,_ Tyson thought.

"So, what do you plan on doing in your next match?" Rei asked as they waited. The White Tigers and BioVolt had arrived at the airport, luggage and all. Mariah was giving Carmen foul looks and rather evil glares.

"Kicking BioVolt's ass, what did you expect?" Carmen answered. Rei smiled. Tyson threw Mariah some odd looks, and she nodded to each one.

"Well, it's good to know that you're not giving up." said Rei. Carmen lay her head on Rei's shoulder.

"Well, know you'll get a chance to see were I'm from.." she said.

"England… What's it like there?" he asked.

"Oh, it's beautiful! The people, the sense of humour, the food..." said Carmen.

"God, don't let Tyson in any restaurants!" Rei muttered. Carmen laughed.

"Knowing him." she said.

"All passengers for England, please board the plane now. All passengers for England,. please board the plane now. Thank you!" the speaker boomed.

"That's our flight!" exclaimed Carmen. The lot of them grabbed their bags and boarded the plane.

Carmen, Alex, and Sandra all sat together, with Nick, Max and Aaron sitting in front, facing them. They all discussed their strategies, but Carmen had her nose in a book. The book was a navy blue, that read 'Patricia Cornwell' in large gold print on the front. Also, there was a red flag with a blue and white cross going down the centre of the flag. In white print that had a red shadow, read the words 'Southern Cross'.

Carmen blinked a few times. _God, why can't I see the words anymore,_ Carmen thought. Sandra looked at Carmen, noticing that her friend was blinking.

"Carmen, are you alright?" she asked. Carmen looked at Sandra, and nodded.

"Yes, I'm alright. Just, something in my eye.." Carmen answered, then rubbed her eye so not to make herself look suspicious. Carmen turned back to her book, burying her eyes deeply amongst the pages, hiding her eyes from the others.

All the teams that boarded the plane were sitting together. Those teams were; The White Tigers, The Demons, The Bladebreakers, BioVolt and The Saint Shields. Both The Saint Shields and The White Tigers came along to watch, up close and personal.

The plane ride to England was very long. None of them could stand sitting in their seats for as long as they had to, except Carmen and Alex. The two girls were from around the same area; Carmen was from Manchester England, and Alex was from Dublin Ireland. They were both used to the long flight, considering the long distances they'd both travelled.

Tyson moaned. "I'm _hungry_!" he whined.

"But we _just_ ate!" Kenny cried.

"Get used to it, the trip's going to be seven to eight hours long." Carmen called. The Demons were sitting across the isle from The Bladebreakers, but Carmen was the closest.

"What!" Max cried.

"Yep, believe it or don't!" said Carmen, before she turned back to her book.

Now knowing that the flight would be seven to eight hours, they still couldn't stand staying in their seats. Every now and then, Rei would look over at Carmen. Every time he did, he saw her blinking. Rei had a rather confused look on his face, not knowing why Carmen was blinking. _She always had good eye sight. But, things do change,_ Rei thought.

After about an hour, Carmen put down her book.

"Is that an interesting book?" Nick asked. Carmen looked up.

"Yes, it's rather interesting." she answered. He nodded his head slightly.

"Too interesting for you to take attention away from it?" he asked. Carmen nodded.

"And we know that you're blinking." Aaron added. Carmen looked at Aaron, but didn't say anything.

"I'm blinking! Whoa... _Everybody_ blinks." she said after awhile.

"But not as rapidly when reading." Alex pointed out.

"Point being?" Carmen asked.

"I've heard that people blink almost twice as fast when they're reading, if they need glasses." Max said. Carmen didn't seem amused.

"Amuse me, Drzazga." she said. She only called people by their last names if she was either pissed right off, not amused, or for any other reason. Max took a deep breath, then began to talk.

"Well, when you were reading, Sandra caught you blinking… Almost twice as fast." he said. Carmen stared at him.

"I'm not amused Drzazga.." she said testily.

"You're not one to amuse easily, are you?" Max asked, trying to change the subject.

"Nice try, but changing the subject isn't going to help." Carmen said, not sounding amused.

"Eheh..." Max mumbled.

"Carmen, give it up!" Nick said suddenly.

"Shut it, Gagnier!" she said angrily.

"My sight is perfectly fine. Now, if you'll excuse me..." she added darkly, then turned back to her book. The others stared at her, but she didn't blink that often this time.

"Do you think sh---"

"Yes Aaron, we do think she's pissed."

"I see...So! What's for lunch!" he said. The others all heaved a sigh of doubt, all but Carmen.

"Well, she's not going to crack any time soon..." Alex muttered.

"Shaw, I'm not blind, and I'm certainly not death!" Carmen hissed from behind her book. Alex slumped back into her seat with great unease. _Alright then… Miss Snappy is back, and she's biting everyone's heads off,_ Alex thought. The hours passed with great unease, as Carmen continued to bite her team mates' heads off.

"Okay... This is... Not easy.." Aaron muttered. Sandra hadn't said a thing.

"Sandra, have you got Laryngitis or something?" Nick asked.

"No, I'm just thinking.." she answered.

**A/N:** Hey! Sorry it took awhile to type this chapter up! I'm finally finished! Hope you like it, even though it may not be very good.. But, anyways! Thanks to ALL OF MY REVIEWERS! God, I don't know what I'd do without yas! Thanks to all of you for the help with the BioVolt member names and bitbeasts! And thank you deathrosekitty for the idea in your review for chapter 12! I loved it! And thanks Reis#1gurl for your idea! Mind... Carmen really would pound the bloody shit outta Mariah! Your idea was great! More reviews please and thanks, and some ideas if you've got some to spare! Just in case I get writer's block..)

Thanks again!

-Carmen.


	15. Riley Bros, & A Pissed Pink Head!

Chapter Fifteen

**Riley Bros And a Pissed Pink-head!

* * *

**

Nick shrugged. Carmen was still reading, ignoring every comment from her friends. Time was just about up, considering it was now six hours and fourty-five minutes since the plane took off. Carmen set her book down, took off her watch, then started to fiddle around with it.

"Carmen, why are you playing around with your watch?" Aaron asked.

"Well Javlonski, England's time isn't like what we're used to. So, I'm setting my watch to England's time." she answered matter-of-factly. _Good, I'm fricken tired..Oh well, home at last,_ Carmen thought as she leaned back in her seat. She yawned slightly.

-X-

All five teams and the other passengers walked off the plane and into the airport. _Whoa...Carmen was right. It is beautiful here,_ Rei thought as he looked around. The Union Jack, England's flag, went with the wind. Carmen looked up at the flag, and proudly smiled. The flag fluttered in the wind, alone at the top of the flag pole at England's Airport.

"Riley! Get over 'ere!" a boy's voice called. Carmen turned around.

"Nick!" she cried. A boy that seemed taller than Carmen, with hazel eyes like hers, and dark brown hair that was slightly spiked and wore a pair of slightly ripped jeans and a white t-shirt stood near by with a younger boy.

"Mum sent us to get ya! Mind, I said that the guv would find ya alright, considering you're on _England's Most Wanted List_!" he said.

"Hey! I am not!" she cried.

"Are so! Anyway, mum insisted that we come to get you." the boy said. The younger boy looked very much like Carmen and the other boy. Hazel eyes, spiked brown hair, slightly torn jeans, white t-shirt. You could tell they were related to Carmen. Carmen looked at the younger boy.

"And what've you got to say, Jake?" she asked.

"Only that Nick's right. You _are_ pretty destructive.." said the smaller boy.

"Brothers! They're useless!" Carmen said, then grabbed her stuff. The two boys laughed, then gave each other high fives.

"Got 'err that time!" said the older boy.

"Definitely!" said the other.

"Alright, Thing One and Thing Two, you guys coming!" Carmen called. Both boys nodded, then they and Carmen's team headed for the parking lot. Before they exited, Carmen looked back and blew Rei a kiss. Rei blew one back, and Carmen caught it, then headed out the door.

-X-

"Carmen's got a boyfriend! Carmen's got a boyfriend! Carmen's got a boyfr-"

"SHUT IT JAKE!" Carmen yelled. The younger boy jumped.

"Alright then!" he muttered, then walked away.

"Carmen, when are you going to cut your younger brother some slack!" Max asked.

"When he starts learning to build motor bikes like Nick and I, and actually helps out a bit!" Carmen answered. Her team stared at her in bewilderment.

"You know how to build motor bikes!" Aaron choked.

"Yes. Nick taught me, because he probably thought I was good material for motor bike building! I dunno what he thought! But now he's got me hooked on building them! Infact, I'm working on one know. I haven't reached any painting yet, still on the fabrications...If you'd like to s--"

"**YES!**"

"Erm...Alright..." Carmen said, then got up.

"Follow me." she added. The others followed her as she walked further and further down the street.

"In here." she said, stopping outside a rather large building that stood alone at the end of a dusty dirt road nearby a wide open field. The others looked around; amazed.

"How come you never--"

"Told you? Well, I just sorta...Well, I actually don't know why. I just didn't." Carmen answered. "GOD I HATE THIS DOOR!" she yelled, kicking the door.

"OI! WHAT THE 'ELL ARE YOU TRYIN' TO DO! WE'RE CLOSED!" a voice yelled from inside.

"OPEN UP!" Carmen yelled through the door. Something banged on the floor, then Nick stumbled toward the door.

"Oh, it's just you. Did you happen to stumble across the guv?" Nick asked. Carmen raised a fist, but Alex hastily grabbed her wrist. Carmen's elder brother let them in, and Aaron was just beaming with what looked... Like pleasure?

"Well, it's not quite finished, but here's a rough sketch that I drew, for what it's _supposed_ to look like." said Carmen, showing them a rough sketch. The bike in the sketch was black with small designs on it, and some flames. The small designs looked like the cats on products of 'Emily The Strange'.

"That's a good sketch!" Sandra exclaimed.

"What's with Emily The Strange?" Alex asked. Carmen looked up at the redhead.

"I _like_ Emily The Strange stuff, why?" she said. Alex shrugged.

"Curious." the redhead replied simply. The boys looked at each other. Could this possibly be the end of the strong bond of friendship between them? Maybe...Maybe not.

-X-

Carmen and her team were sitting in the park with Rei and his team. Tyson looked around from time to time, as if expecting something... Or someone.

"You guys are in the finals! This is great! We might even be facing each other in the final match!" Hilary said excitedly.

"That'll be true, considering BioVolt's going to get their ass kicked. Expecially Bryan." Carmen said.

"Why, isn't it the boyfriend stealling bitch!" a girl's voice called. Carmen stiffly turned her head, then her eyes settled on Mariah. _It's about time you got here,_ Tyson thought.

"Me? A boyfriend stealling bitch? No!" Carmen said stiffly. Mariah nodded.

"Yeah, you _are_ one." she said stiffly.

"And if you were male, you'd be a drunk bastard." Carmen hissed. Rei knew this wasn't going to be good.

"Mind, 'bastard' refers to female or male, so even if you were male you'd still be a bastard." Carmen added. Mariah scowled.

"At least _I _don't go around stealing other girls' boyfriends!" she hissed back.

"You bloody bitch. I didn't steal Rei from you. You're _such_ a dumb blonde." Carmen hissed.

"No offence to any of you. You're not dumb blondes." she added, looking at Max and Sandra.

"None taken." the two said.

"_Dumb blonde?_ As if you hadn't noticed, my hair _isn't _blonde." Mariah snapped.

"That's because you died your hair to cover the fact that you're a dumb blonde. Well Mariah, dying your hair a different colour may cover that fact, but it doesn't cover your stupidity." Carmen said. Mariah was fuming.

"CAT FIGHT!" Aaron declared. Carmen stood up, staring coldly at Mariah.

"Scram. You don't _deserve_ to see the beauty of England." Carmen said coldly.

"What're you gonna do about it?" Mariah asked.

"Oh shit, Mariah's going to get it now." Alex muttered. Carmen shrugged.

"I'll give ya some advice. Go see if you can get a job at _Bitches R Us_. I hear they need a pink haired bitch." she hissed. Nick clapped.

"That was a good one." he said quietly.

"Why don't you?" Mariah shot back. "First of all, I don't have pink hair. Second, I'm not a bitch." Carmen shot back to Mariah. Mariah couldn't think of anything to say, then started to walk in the opposit direction.

"That's right! Go get fucked up by some bastard off the street! Stand on that corner over there and say, 'Who ever wants to fuck me up, stand in a line!' Then you'll see the bastards!" Carmen yelled after Mariah, pointing to a random nearby corner. Mariah turned sharply on her heel, facing Carmen once again.

"GET YOURSELF FUCKED UP!" she yelled. Carmen started to laugh.


	16. Nightmares and Kisses

Chapter Sixteen

**Nightmares and Kisses

* * *

**

The sky remained cloudless and bright as they packed up and went home. Carmen went back to her house, while the others went back to the hotel. Carmen silently climbed the steps up to her room.

"Today… Was a long day. Hey, what's this." she said. Carmen picked up a hastily scribbled note from her bedside table.

"_Carmen, we're all going out for awhile. Won't be back until morning. Mum says don't do something you shouldn't do! Nick._ Well, I'm all alone tonight." Carmen said, then lay on her bed. She stared at the ceiling silently, then her eyelids slowly closed. Before long, she was out like a light.

-X-

_Hm... I wonder where Rei is..._

_"Oh Rei! I love it!" Huh? Who was that? Well, who ever that bitch is, she's with Rei. -turns the corner and gasps- It's Mariah! That bitchy low life! -runs up to them and tries to pull Rei away from Mariah- -hands go straight through Rei's arms- Huh! I... I can't grab his arms! I'm like a ghost!_

_"Oh Rei, I missed you while you were with Carmen! You don't need her." God that bitch pisses me off so much. Rei! -Rei doesn't hear Carmen- Rei! He can't hear me! No! REI!_

Carmen woke up screaming.

"DAMN THAT WENCH!" she screamed, then looked around. She sat up.

"It was just a dream. Nothing real, a mere dream. God, it seemed real!" she muttered, then checked her watch.

"I was asleep for half an hour.." she added. Getting out of bed, she walked out of her room and across the landing to the bathroom. She turned on the tap, then splashed some water into her face. The phone suddenly rang. Carmen jumped and grabbed the wall, her heart racing.

"SHIT!" she shouted, then ran downstairs to answer the phone.

"Hello? Riley residence; Carmen speaking." she said.

"Alright then operator! Hey Carmen, it's Alex."

"Alex? Who's Alex? OH! Alex! Hi! Sorry… I'm a bit out of it at the moment.."

"You must be if ya can't remember who I am!"

"Heh..."

"Listen. We're all down at the park, even Rei and h--"

"If you're at the park, then how can you be on the phone?"

"Pay phone, Carmen. Pay phone."

"Oh...Right. Heh... Please continue."

"Anyway, Rei and his posse are here too. Thought you'd like to come. God, you sound like ya just got out of bed!"

"I fell asleep as soon as I got home."

"That explains it. Well, are you comin'?"

"I can't. Got to work on my bike for awhile. Maybe later, I won't be long."

"Aw, alright. Well, I guess we'll see you later! Bye." The redhead hung up, as did Carmen. She swiftly climbed the stairs, shut off the bathroom light, then slid down the banister by the stairs. She hastily put on her shoes and pulled a black sweatshirt over her head, grabbed her house key, then went out the door.

"I'll just work on my bike for awhile, then I'll head for the park." she muttered, locking the door. Carmen slipped the house key into her pocket, then walked down the drive and up the street. Not long after, she turned into the dusty dirt road which led up to the airplane hangar-like building; shoulders tense and arms crossed in front of her chest. The wooden gate was locked close.

"Nick, Nick, Nick! I told him to do something about this gate, but he never listens to the 'baby sister'!" Carmen said, then jumped over the gate and walked into the garage. She looked where she last left her project. A shinning bike frame stood on a table, with plenty of Carmen's thing spread around it.

"I'm not going to finish this any time soon, but oh well!" she muttered, then got to work. Not even a minute later, there was a nock at the door.

"Parts for a Miss C. Riley!" a young man's voice called. _The parts are here!_ she thought. She skipped toward the door.

"Hello!" she said cheerfully.

"Sign here, please." said the man, handing her a pen and a clip board. She took the pen and the clip board, then neatly wrote the signature, C. Riley. He took the pen and clip board, set them down on the ground, handed her a large box, then left. Carmen carried the box over to the table, and carefully set it on the floor.

"Riley's happy today!" she hummed, opening the box. Minutes later, she checked her watch.

"Oh my gosh!" she gasped, then went for the door, stepped outside, then locked up. She hastily jumped the gate, and rushed in the direction of the park.

"Alex is going to beat me if I'm late!" she said under her breath.

-X-

"I'm here! I'm here! Sorry!" Carmen called as she stepped on the rail by the stairs in the park, then jumped. "WHA!" she cried, then hit the grass with a loud 'thud'.

"There she goes again.." Nick muttered.

"Watch the ribs!" Alex called.

"I'm alright, I'm alright! Think I lost my brain on that last corner back there, but I'm alright!" Carmen called. "Ah...I'm just going to stay here!" she added. Alex laughed.

"TACKLE!" Aaron declared.

"Oh shit...Now, now kids! DON'T HURT ME!" Carmen yelled, but it was too late. Max, Alex, Nick, Sandra and Aaron piled on top of Carmen.

"ALRIGHT! _All_ of you, off me! Or it'll be the corner for you five year olds!" Carmen said loudly.

"Aw.." the other five moaned, then got off of Carmen.

"Hey you." Rei smiled, then sat down by Carmen's head.

"Hey Romeo." she smiled.

"Here it comes.." Aaron mumbled.

"A fluffy kiss.." Max whispered. Sure enough, Rei's face moved closer to Carmen's, and they kissed. The others let out a moan. Carmen looked at them.

"You guys really _are_ five year olds!" she laughed.

**A/N:** Well, two chapters in one day uploaded! I hope this makes up for not updating! If you like what you read, then please send in a review! Or I'll...cry? YES! I'll cry! See? -cries- See! Now a nice review would cheer me up! I know I'm sounding desperate now... Heh... Anyway! Please review! Thanks!

-Carmen.


	17. BioVolt Kissed GoodBye

**A/N:** I'm going to refer to Max Drzazga to Drzazga in this chapter, so that nobody gets confused! Yes Reis#1gurl, you made me happy! But what happened to AthleticBlueAngel? Where did ya go! Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

Chapter Seventeen

**BioVolt Kissed Goodbye

* * *

**

The rest of the night was, well, pretty insane. With Carmen there, that is.

"Someone get this girl a coffee, she _needs _to relax!" Max said.

"A coffee! YOU'RE MAD! A coffee is going to make things worse!" Alex exclaimed.

"YES! A COFFEE! COFFEE!" Carmen yelled, then Rei tackled her.

"No coffee for you!" he said, waving a finger. Carmen pouted.

"Let them make out, it'll be fun to watch." Drzazga said. Tyson didn't say anything. Carmen slipped out from under Rei.

"Long live my posse!" she declared.

"Oh, and Drzazga, please. Don't be a four year old!" she added. Drzazga's face went red.

"But I'm a six year old that _acts_ like a four year old!" he said. Carmen shrugged.

"Aright kindergartens! We've got to go and figure out how we'll play tomorrow!" she called. Her team moan in unison, then followed her.

-X-

The next day was just something else. Their fans were screaming around them, and their opponent on the opposite side of the arena. The lights suddenly went on, and DJ began.

"Welcome! I'm DJ, and we're in Manchester, England for the final spins! Today's match is BioVolt VS. The Demons!" he said loudly.

"This match will be very, _very_ different from the others! All three rounds will consist of the same people! So, the same representatives will spin for each round! Now, let me give to you, Carmen of The Demons and Bryan of BioVolt!" DJ added. introducing the players. Carmen stepped up to the arena, and set eyes on her opponent. The purple haired boy stared back.

"Prepared to lose?" he asked.

"Good, you're prepared to lose. Just what I wanted." Carmen said, turning his question into something a bit like a burn or dis.

"Bladers, get ready!" DJ said. Both players were determined, and got ready to blade.

"THREE, TWO, ONE!" DJ yelled.

"**Let it rip!**" both bladers yelled. Their blades hit the dish, but it seemed that Carmen was holding back. Bryan didn't seem amused.

"What's this? You're holding back!" he said testily.

"Exit - Stage left, that's where you're going!" Carmen hissed, and Soulbreather tore away after Falborg.

"Falborg!" Bryan yelled.

"Go for it, Soulbreather!" Carmen shouted. The two blades rampaged after each other.

"Falborg!" Bryan yelled again.

"Come on Soulbreather!" Carmen shouted. Both Soulbreather and Falborg tore pieces of armour off of each other, like wildcats fighting each other for the carcass of a Warthog.

Song did not fill the air, but only the shouts from the excited crowd. Half chanted 'Riley', while the other half chanted 'Bryan'.

"Carmen, why are you not singing? In each of your battles, you sing." Bryan said. Carmen looked at him.

"To start things off, call me Riley. Second, I decided not to sing tonight." she answered.

Bryan pouted slightly. "Why ever not?" he asked.

"You're not high classed. Only honourable teams get my singing." Carmen answered. Alex, Drzazga, Aaron, Nick and Sandra let out howls of laughter. The BioVolt Boys looked disgusted.

"_Not high classed_? We are Russians!" Bryan bellowed.

"Right, and I'm the Queen of England's daughter! Bow down to me!" she said sarcastically. Falborg and Soulbreather were both battered up horribly.

"Bryan, although BioVolt has made appearances in tournaments, The Demons have not. We stayed hidden amongst the crowd until we decided that our team stood a chance. Our team was formed far before the Championship Tournament that was held in Russia, when The Bladebreakers were made Champion." Carmen said blankly.

"I need to know this, why?" he asked.

"Because it may be useful to you when BioVolt falls to their knees in shame of losing to a girl." Carmen said blankly again. Bryan stared at her. Both blades tore away after each other.

"What do you mean?" Tala shouted from his seat.

"Shut it Ivanov." Carmen snapped.

"**Shut yourself up, Riley!**" Ian shouted.

"**Up yours!**" she shouted back.

"I worked hard to get my team and I where we are today. I didn't go to a scientist for help, nor did I go to some psycho on the street." Carmen said loudly.

"That's it! Enough of your nonsense! FALBORG!" Bryan yelled. Falborg collided into Soulbreather, knocking Carmen's blade off-balance. Carmen only stared, then raised her hands and untied her hair. Carmen's long raven black hair fell down, levelling at the knees. Her appearance now made her look more dead, than alive.

"**Death Storm Attack... NOW!**" Carmen bellowed, seeing the perfect moment to attack. Soulbreather now regained balance, and collided back into Falborg, pushing his opponent to the edge of the dish. Bryan looked at the dish, then up at Carmen. He saw her beyblade before, but was used to seeing her hair pulled back. Now, it seemed he had a whole new opponent.

_Now it's a whole new level_, Bryan thought. "Playing like the big leagues now, aren't you?" he asked.

"Damn right I am!" Carmen said, her hair blew back from the force of the battle. The Bladebreakers, The White Tigers and The Saint Shields watched from up in the stands.

"Come on, Carmen!" Miriam cheered. Rei was indeed amazed. Carmen wasn't relying on the sound of song this time, and changing her appearance made things interesting.

"Well Bryan, it seems you're not trying anymore." Carmen said, brushing raven black hair away from her face.

"It's just your eyes, Riley." he said angrily.

"**MY EYES ARE FINE!**" she shrieked. Soulbreather continued to push Falborg to the edge of the dish.

"**FALBORG!**" Bryan hollered. _That's right… Try to attack!_ Carmen thought. Falborg tried to attack, but Soulbreather took advantage of this. Falborg ended up being rebounded off of Soulbreather, and hit the ground outside of the dish.

Bryan looked confused. "How did I--"

"Lose? Well, it's just like in a video game. If you're trapped, don't fire your gun. You'll end up committing suicide." Carmen explained.

"This round goes to The Demons! Bladers, get ready for your next match! We will allow a ten minute break." DJ said. Carmen grabbed her now fairly torn apart blade, then headed back. The Demons walked into their team's room.

"Good show Carmen!" they all cheered. The next two battles were much like the first. In their second match, Bryan took it home for BioVolt. But in the end, Carmen won it for The Demons. The lot of them were just too thrilled for words. That night, they simply relaxed.

"We'll be facing The Bladebreakers next." Nick said.

"Yes, but that's not for a few days, I hope you know." Carmen said as she French braided her hair carefully.

**A/N:** Well, I had a bit of trouble writing this chapter. I actually did that in a video game once before! I committed suicide and killed myself on one of my cousin's video games. It was quite amusing...actually! Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks Reis#1gurl, I thought I would throw in a nice little dream...:) A nice review would be great!

-Carmen.


	18. Champions Decided

**A/N:** SHIT! Sorry AthleticBlueFire, I couldn't quite remember how your name went! I couldn't check because my internet was down -insert VERY long line of curses here- Very sorry! Swamped with homework, huh? Ack, wish I could help ya... ANYTHING TO DO WITH ENGLAND IN THERE? Laugh my ass off... joking. I know what you mean! THANK YOU Reis#1gurl! DJ Jazzman... DJ Jazzman...got to remember that! Thanks again!

* * *

Chapter Eighteen

**Champions Decided

* * *

**

The next day none of them wanted to move. They only wanted to sleep the day away... for some odd reason. Carmen tossed and turned; Max and Aaron tossed as they were tightly wrapped in the sheets; Nick asleep on the floor with the sheets tightly binding him; Sandra silently asleep; and Alex was asleep on her stomach with her redhead under the pillow.

All of them were asleep in their beds... Er… well, the majority of them. As sunlight seeped its way through the drawn curtains that hung in front of the windows, they continued to sleep. Rays of sunlight dotted their faces, pillows and sheets. Mrs. Riley had asked the team to stay at the Riley's home, and they gladly accepted her offer.

The bedroom door began to creak open, and a figure slipped through. This small figure made its way toward Carmen's bed, then slowly and quietly got up onto the bed. _She's not going to get up very easily!_ the shadowy figure thought, then jumped into the air. The small being jumped on Carmen's bed, then landed on Carmen herself.

"OUCH!" Carmen cried, then peered through the dimly light room, to see a small boy's face.

"JAKE!" she yelled. Her younger brother got up, and continued to jump on the bed and land on his sister. The others moaned, rubbed their eyes, and looked up.

"What's all the racket for?" Aaron asked sleepily.

"JAKE! GET GOING BEFORE I THUMP YA!" Carmen hollered as her sibling continued his torment. Alex chucked her pillow toward Carmen's bed, and only just missed Carmen's face.

"JAKE! MUM!" Carmen shrieked.

"Jake! Get down here, **now**!" came the angry voice of Carmen's mother. Jake stood still on the bed, near Carmen's rib cage.

"You just had to ruin my fun!" he whined, staring down at Carmen.

"Shut it, swine." Carmen hissed. Jake jumped off the bed, then ran out.

"Carmen, couldn't you just thump him one on the head?" Alex moaned as she looked up; her hair was fairly messy.

"I would've." Carmen answered.

Nick was surprised to see himself on the floor that morning. All three boys had a good laugh as they untangled themselves from the sheets. The lot made their way downstairs sleepily. Carmen wore her usual tight black jeans, and a soccer jersey for England's soccer team, while her hair was pulled back into a French braid. Alex wore a single pair of blue Capri's and a white tee shirt, as did Sandra. As for the boys, the usual jeans and tee shirt.

"Aren't we cheerful today!" Carmen's elder sibling, Nick, said sarcastically.

"Jake jumped on me and nearly landed on my rib cage!" Carmen hissed.

"Aw, what's the matter? Is little Caramel upset because she could've been in the hospital with broken ribs again?" Nick said sarcastically. His voice was one that you'd use if you were talking to a baby, or was being a tease.

"NICK!" she hollered, then turned to her friends.

"This is what it's like early in the morning." she added.

"Only when Carmen takes on the role of a jackass!" Nick added, then caught his mother's eye.

"NICK!" Carmen yelled again. The boys burst with laughter.

"Carmen, Nick, that's **enough**!" called Carmen's mother. The two siblings stared at each other darkly.

-X-

The Bladebreakers and The Demons stared around at each other.

"Well? We've got to do something other than just sitting here staring at each other!" Alex said finally.

"Like what?" Drzazga asked.

"Sing _The Anthem_?" Alex suggested.

"YESH! The Anthem! Good Charlotte's GREATEST song!" Carmen said happily.

Kenny looked kind of scared. "Does...she have an obsession with music...or the song _The Anthem_? Or _Good Charlotte_?" he asked.

"Ah, I'm afraid so. Riley knows just about every song Good Charlotte wrote, same with many other bands or singers." Alex answered. Kenny slowly nodded.

"No no, let's not sing." Aaron declared.

"Why?" Sandra asked.

"Why not?" Nick asked.

"Because we always do! Can't we just relax?" Aaron answered. They all looked at each other, nodding their heads.

"That's true, we _do_ perform often..." Drzazga said.

"And we don't relax often.." Nick added.

"Then it's settled! We'll relax!" Aaron declared.

-X-

The crowd filled with excitement as they waited for the final match. Alex and Sandra were going a bit... Crazy as they waited.

"Oh gosh, oh gosh... OH GOSH!" Alex cried.

"I know! I broke a nail!" Sandra cried. Aaron, Carmen, Nick and Max sweat dropped.

"Easy there girlies! Don't worry Sandra, your nail will grow back. Look at mine, I rip them off and bit them and do all sorts of other fun shit to them." Carmen said, holding her hands out for Sandra to look at them. Sandra stared at her captain for awhile, then looked at Carmen's nails. The boys burst with laughter at the sight of Sandra's face; she looked like she just saw a cat get run over by a car.

"Sandra! The look on your face is just... Priceless!" Aaron laughed as he clutched his stomach. Max and Nick were both pounding their fists on the floor as they laughed. Carmen tried to hold her laughter in, but failed. Sandra became quite for awhile, staring at her own finger nails.

"Come on! It's time for the match!" called Mr. Dickenson from the opposite side of the door.

"Coming!" Carmen called back, then turned to her team.

"Alright, we know what we're doing?" she asked.

"Yes." the others chorused.

"Very good. We know who we're up against? We know the stakes?" Carmen asked.

"Yes." the others chorused again.

"Very well." she smiled slightly, then the team went out for the crowd.

-X-

The rays of light from the spotlights beamed down upon the two teams; it was time.

"Welcome, once again, to the Final Match of the World Championship Tournament! We are here in Manchester England, with the Final Match! Our two competing teams are; our returning champions, The Bladebreakers! And the opposing team, one team that has proved they were good enough for the finals.. The Demons!" introduced DJ Jazzman. The cheering fans stood up from their seats, clapping and cheering.

-X-

On the rather large television type screen behind DJ, there was a chart, showing which blader would go at which time. The chart went as follows:

_First, Tyson VS. Nick_

_Second, Max VS. Alex_

_Last, Ray VS. Carmen_

Between the pictures of Nick and Tyson read '_Winner - Tyson_'. But, Alex and Max were both still in their battle. Determination gleamed in both their eyes. The battle was well underway; neither of them were about to give up.

"Come on! We can do this!" Alex said encouragingly.

"Come on, Draciel!" said Max under his breath. Carmen was on her feet, wearing the same out fit from when she had first met The Bladebreakers. _Come on girl, come on. Make up for Nick's lose in battle,_ Carmen thought as she shot a sideways glance at Nick. He was staring at the ground, ashamed of himself; though it seemed.

-X-

As the dust rose, both Rei and Carmen were not visible. Alex had won her match, but now it was up to Carmen to win them the title as Champion. Carmen was singing _Breakaway_ by _Kelly Clarkson_, and had already finished the song. The dish was practically torn apart, which was the source of the dust.

As the dust settled, both beybladers came into view. The two lay on the floor, tired and slightly weak. The beyblades began to lose their balance. The winning team would be decided very, very soon. Carmen placed her hands on the cold floor, pushing her upper body back into the air. Her eyes met Rei's who was already on his knees, watching the blades.

Her eyes drifted down to the decreasing in speed blades; Soulbreather seemed done as dinner. _No_, she mouthed, _please no._

"Come on… _Come on_..." Rei pleaded. Each blade toppled to the sides, although Drigger seemed to be still in the game.

"No… Not now, please no. We've come too far to lose now. Soulbreather...please." Carmen said quietly. But there wasn't any hope. Soulbreather bit the dust; Rei had won.

"Rei wins! The Bladebreakers remain the champions!" DJ called. The crowd stood up clapping, and seemed to have enjoyed the match. Carmen's mouth hung open slightly, staring at her blade in slight disgust. _It.. It... It can't be! But, it is. We've lost..._ Carmen thought.


	19. Street Fight

**A/N:** I'm back! And, a few minor changes have been made!

* * *

Chapter Nineteen

**Street Fight

* * *

**

"**Son of a bitch! How could I have lost that fucking battle!**" Carmen banged her fists against the wall for the umpteenth time. She was on the _War Path_, and so none of The Demons dared calm her down.

"She's cursing and swearing more than ever.. Good thing her parents and brothers aren't home.." Alex whispered to Max.

"Yeah.. _Really_ good thing.." he whispered back before jumping slightly from Carmen banging her fists again.

"**Son of a fucking bitch I swear I had that match in the palm of my hand!**" It had only been half an hour since she, Carmen Riley, proud leader of The Demons, had fallen to her knees in defeat of Rei Kon from The Bladebreakers. Sandra and Aaron looked at each other, possibly thinking the same thing.

"**Damn it all!**" Carmen shouted, clearly unaware that her team mates wanted to desperately run for the front door.

-X-

"Great show, Rei!" Hilary said happily.

"Thanks Hilary!" the Chinese boy smiled.

"That was out of luck, I'd say." muttered the Russian.

"Well, I'm not so sure on that one, Kai. Both Rei and Carmen are competitive, although Carmen has a whole other strategy of playing the game." Kenny said, almost sounding matter-of-factly.

"Oh really," Kai muttered while flicking a lock of hair out of his face, "how so?" Kai looked at Kenny.

"Well, she has her own style as does everyone else, and according to Rei's stories which he CONTINUES to forget telling them to us, Carmen has travelled the world learning different techniques as he did," Kenny began, then looked at Rei, "that is correct?"

Rei nodded, "Yeah, that's right. Carmen travelled the world as I did, and we both went to Rome, Italy together." The end of this statement was greeted by _ohh'_s and _awe's_ from Tyson and Max.

"Will you shut up with the _oh'_s and _awe'_s!" Kai snapped.

"Anyways, if I may continue. We both went to Rome, Italy together, just as I said. But, I was travelling the world to learn new moves as well as possibly meeting new people. Carmen, on the other hand, was travelling the world to do both what I was doing and learning different techniques. And Rome is where she learned to put two of her greatest talents together to form her technique." Rei explained. Once more, _ohh_... _awe_. Kai couldn't handle their childish behaviour any longer.

"**SHUT UP!**" Cheering had started outside at that moment.

"Probably just a bunch of fan-girls.." Tyson muttered.

"Then how come I can hear Mariah, Kevin, Lee and the rest of the White Tigers? And nobody else?" Rei asked. They all looked at each other before getting to their feet and running outside.

"REI! YOU BEAT THE BITCH!" Mariah yelled and threw her arms around Rei. Rei quickly threw his arms into the air, then stared at Mariah with a stunned look. _If Carmen comes with her team then I'll REALLY be screwed_, Rei thought. Unfortunately for Rei, The Demons were just on the opposite side of the street, all of them, because they had 'needed some fresh air'.

"GET OFF HIM YOU MOTHER FUCKER!" Carmen yelled. Rei looked up. The colour had drained from his face from fright.

"Oh... Shit...I'm screwed..." Rei muttered slightly as Mariah finally decided to let him breathe again.

"**What did you just call me!**" Mariah called.

"**You heard me. MOTHER FUCKER!**" Carmen yelled. Mariah's face twitched slightly, then again, and again before she made a run for Carmen.

"**DON'T YOU DARE FUCKING CALL ME A MOTHER FUCKER!**" she yelled while hitting Carmen.

"Shove off!" Carmen yelled, now taking her turn in kicking sissy girl ass. _Mariah's going to get beat to a pulp if I don't do anything_, Rei thought.

That was when it seemed that Rei was a lifeless plush toy being fought over by two sibling sisters jumped to life. He ran to the two girls and grabbed Mariah.

"Rei what're you doi--" Carmen was caught off as Rei pushed Mariah into a hard kiss. Her mouth dropped open in surprise and shock. An odd feeling cursed through the English Rebel Punk girl. _R-R-Rei..._, Carmen thought before grabbing at Mariah's pink hair and began to beat the living pink shit out of her.

"Carmen, stop!" Rei yelled, although it was useless, so he grabbed Mariah and _ran_.

Carmen stared after them, as if frozen to the pavement. Had time stopped? Or had life stopped? Something stopped, that much was for sure. It seemed to be the kind of moment when it feels like it's a foggy day and you can't even see your own hand if you held it out in front of you. That's the kind of moment it was. Unclear. Uncertain. Like a dirt trail that had washed away. Something you can't follow. Having that feeling that you're frozen to the pavement doesn't help either.

"Eat shit." Carmen said thoughtlessly.

-X-

"Rei?" Mariah asked. Although the pink-haired girl was confused, she was certain about one thing: Ray liked her again. The two stopped under a number of large oak trees.

"Mariah... WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO THAT FOR!" Rei yelled, turning to the girl. Mariah was shocked. He did love her, didn't he? Or… Did he?

"Rei.." Mariah whispered. The restless Chinese boy continued to yell at the Pink-haired girl.

"MARIAH! I DON'T LOVE YOU! STOP TRYING TO BREAK US UP! DAMN WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU! IF YOU CAN'T HAVE ME, NOBODY ELSE CAN! IS THAT IT! **I DON'T LIKE YOU! GET THAT THROUGH YOUR HEAD!**" Rei yelled, then took off. Mariah stared after him, as if, just like Carmen, she was rooted to the spot.

Carmen stood on the spot, immobile, just as she had since Rei grabbed Mariah and ran. Alex stared at her English Rebel Punk friend. Never in her life had she seen Carmen with such a shocked and pale face. She took a step toward her pale-faced friend before Aaron grabbed her arm.

"No, don't." he whispered. Alex nodded, then once again took her place amongst their team. A blurry figure appeared at the opposite end of the street; a moving figure. It was Rei. Carmen hadn't moved, even when Rei came back into sight.

"Carmen!" Rei yelled while running toward them. She didn't respond, still shocked about what he did, but only slightly. Rei stopped in front of her, leaned over and put his hands on his knees while trying to catch his breath. He looked up at her, then stood.

"Carmen?" Rei asked. Carmen's brow furrowed, then she slapped Rei upside the face.

"WHAT THE FUCK JUST FUCKING HAPPENED!" Carmen yelled for the first time.

"Carmen, I--" Rei tried to say.

"DON'T YOU BLOODY FUCKING SAY ANYTHING!" Carmen yelled, and with tears in her eyes, ran home. The Demons all gave Rei dirty looks, then ran after Carmen without a word. And now, it was Reis turn to feel glued to the sidewalk.

-X-

"Carmen!" Max yelled while walking into the Riley home.

"Riley, girl!" Alex called, running through the front hall and up the stairs. Alex squeezed past Max and slowly opened the bedroom door. Lying there on the bed was Carmen. She was shaking as she cried. Her face was hidden in the pillow.

"Carmen.." Alex said softly. She sat on the bed beside Carmen and looked at her as she placed a hand on her friend's back gingerly. Max, Sandra, Nick and Aaron all stood at the bedroom door.

"Oh Alex.." Carmen managed to say before crying again. Alex looked at her.

"Carmen, it's alright. We're here. Sandra, Max, Nick, Aaron and I. We're all here, don't worry." She told Carmen softly. Sandra slowly walked into the room, sitting down on the opposite side of the bed.

"Cheer up, girl. There'll be others." She tried. The boys stood in the doorway as the girls tried to cheer up their Captain.

-X-

Things weren't smooth sailing at Tyson's Dojo, either.

"Smooth move, kid.." Kai muttered.

"Shut up, Kai." Rei snapped.

"How could you do such a thing to Carmen, Rei! You loved her!" Hilary asked.

"I do love her, Hilary!" the Chinese boy protested.

"Well, you probably don't love her _that_ much.." Tyson muttered.

"He was probably going to break up with her, anyway!" Dizzi suggested.

"GUYS! SHUT UP FOR THE LOVE OF THE BBA!" Rei yelled. The room suddenly became silent as all eyes fell to Rei.

"Guys, I do love her. I wasn't going to dump her at all! I only did that so that Carmen wouldn't beat the shit out of Mariah, and Mariah wouldn't attempt to beat the shit out of Carmen! Besides... Mariah's too big on the pink shit for my liking. I told Mariah off, and I tried to apologise to Carmen but she slapped me upside the face." he explained.


End file.
